Topic: What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Peregrine]

[Peregrine]

Souvenir de Florence

[Wanderer]

Tchaikovsky: Eugene Oneguin (Levine).

Wagner: Lohengrin (Abbado) ~listening to this for the first time.

Foulds: World Requiem ~from the mp3s that Thom so kindly shared with us. I'm definitely getting the Chandos recording when it becomes available (hope it's on SACD). Too bad none of my other Foulds CDs is with me at the moment...

[Mark]

But please bear in mind that, on their own terms, small and large crimes also work quite admirably. I concur that Helfgott is fascinating and certainly opens your mind, but those are backhanded compliments for sure, and the guy isn't really holding it together technically or mentally. IMO it's definitely a more emotional and emotive performance than either Wild or Hough (this guy is stone cold IMO).

I completely agree with you, and though I didn't phrase my thoughts as succinctly as you have, I'm totally with you on the part I've emboldened. And yes, 'fascinating' is the right word.

[marvinbrown]

Wagner: Lohengrin (Abbado) ~listening to this for the first time.

  Excellent- picking up on Sean's post I see! Hopefully you will be able to comment on that recording in the Abbado's Lohengrin thread in the Opera and Vocal section Wanderer. 

  marvin

[val]

ZELENKA:     Il Serpente di bronzo          / Ensemble Inégal

The music of this dramatic cantata is nice, but not as original as other works of Zelenka. Curiously one of the characters is God himself - a bass voice of course.

Very good interpretation.

[Wanderer]

  Excellent- picking up on Sean's post I see! Hopefully you will be able to comment on that recording in the Abbado's Lohengrin thread in the Opera and Vocal section Wanderer. 

  marvin

As luck would have it, I'd only just got that recording when I posed the question. The plan is to listen to it later today.
I'll try to post some comments, even if it means spoiling the ambiance over there in Sean's place.

[marvinbrown]

As luck would have it, I'd only just got that recording when I posed the question. The plan is to listen to it later today.
I'll try to post some comments, even if it means spoiling the ambiance over there in Sean's place.

  Spoil away Wanderer, I am always looking for good recordings of Wagner's operas missing from my collection.

  marvin

[wintersway]

Good morning/day to all!

[Harry]

Joseph Haydn.

SQ opus 20, 1/3/4.

Buchberger Quartet.

This ongoing series of Haydn's SQ is at Volume V. The opus 20 quartets, in many ways groundbreaking and filled with novelties and experiments. Haydn was trying to find new ways of expression, and his trying is bold and full of creative energy. The Buchbergers make a excellent job of it, it is one of my favourite cycles so far. The recording is also very good. For this low price its a no brainer really.

[Bogey]

Anyone here know of any recordings of these works before Rimsky-Korsakov and Ravel dug their nails into them.

[longears]

A fave!  That recording of Proky's 3rd never fails to get the juices flowing! 

Now listening to the morning weather report.  Expected mild and sunny all week, highs in the 60s--more nearly perfect Fall weather with only a bit of valley fog in the mornings to make the commute to work challenging, especially on the farm roads I favor!

Think I'll start the day off with Blomstedt/SFO Mendelssohn 4.

[karlhenning]

Good morning, Bill! YHM

[Harry]

Handel Opera Arias.

Arias and overtures from the first part of Handel's operatic career. (1704-1759)

From Almira/Rodrigo/Rinaldo/Silla/Amadigi di Gaula/Giulio Cesare in Egitto/Tamerlano/Rodelinda/Scipione.

Emma Kirkby, Soprano.
The Brandenburg Consort/Ray Goodman.

A box with three cd's filled to the brim with opera arias by Handel, and well done. That is if you like the voice of Emma Kirkby, if not just pass this by. Those that like it are in for a treat.
Well accompanied too. A good way to learn a bit more about Handel's opera....

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/6972417

[Brewski]

Anyone here know of any recordings of these works before Rimsky-Korsakov and Ravel dug their nails into them.

Hi Bill, I can recommend two recordings of Night on Bald Mountain: one with Dohnányi and Cleveland that is the original version, and a second with Abbado and Berlin, called St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain that is the version with chorus (below, but not sure it's worth the $35.95 that Amazon is asking).  Both are excellent, though.



--Bruce

[Brian]

Anyone here know of any recordings of these works before Rimsky-Korsakov and Ravel dug their nails into them.

If you mean the piano version of "Pictures", hop over to the early pages of the Broadcast Corner thread - I think there's a link to Richter or someone like that playing the Pictures live. If the link's broken, though, I don't have any other recommendations. There is, though, a great disc featuring Jose Serebrier and the Bournemouth Symphony, of Stokowski's orchestration of the suite (he tried to make it sound more Russian than Ravel's).

Bruce has good advice for "Night on the Bare Mountain," but I might add there's a Naxos disc featuring both versions and a couple snippets from Khovanschina (or however that's spelled) which is absolutely stupendous. Theodore Kuchar and the Ukraine orchestra play their hearts out.

[Brewski]

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (Rattle/Berlin) - This was the final performance of the "Berlin in Lights" Festival here, with over 200 NYC school children dancing while Rattle and the BPO played the score live.  It was not only hugely entertaining, but a bit inspirational; some of the kids looked to just 7 or 8 years old, and I suspect they will all remember this experience for a very long time.  Here's the article about it in today's paper.

The venue was pretty cool, too: the United Palace Theater in upper Manhattan, an over-the-top ornate building with decor that is sort of "Asian temple out of control."  Björk performed there recently, and I'll be keeping an eye on events there, since just being in the lobby is an experience.

--Bruce

[Harry]

Alexander Scriabin.

The complete Solo Piano Works.

Preludes opus 17/22/27/31/33/35/37/39/48/67/74.

Maria Lettberg, Piano.

Wonderful music, very well played, and for me a absolute winner on all counts.
You haven't heard Scriabin, if you haven't heard Lettberg.....
The recording is excellent.
The critical essays about who is best interpretor, that I leave to more capable hands, just saying......
For me personally this is the real stuff regardless...
The preludes move me to tears and much more!

[Drasko]

Anyone here know of any recordings of these works before Rimsky-Korsakov and Ravel dug their nails into them.

Any orchestration of Pictures is by someone else, Mussorgsky wrote the piano suite only.

As for original Night..., Abbado is exceptional.



http://www.amazon.com/Claudio-Abbado-Conducts-Mussorgsky-Modest/dp/B000003FBY

[Haffner]

My girl and I are fighting  . But this is keeping me company.