Topic: What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Brian]

Oh, great, I'm still up at 2am listening to the terrifying music from Hamlet's poisoning scene. Tomorrow's going to be a looong day

Que, your arrival here should be my alarm clock telling me to go to sleep. 

[val]

BRAHMS:     String Quintet opus 88

/ Amadeus Quartet, Aronowitz
/ Juilliard Quartet, Trämpler

Brahms first Quintet is one of his most beautiful works, in special the sublime first movement.
In my opinion, no one ever reached the Amadeus, their quiet emotion, the extreme quality of their phrasing.

The Juilliard are not very convincing. Heavy, with a prosaic phrasing - the 2nd theme of the first movement, in the viola, is a good example - and with Trämpler very far from Aronowitz. THe best of their version is the Fugue in the 3rd movement.

[Harry]

Henry Purcell.
Fantasies for Strings.
Musica Amphion, Pieter Jan Belder.
On period instruments.

A marvelous set of Fantasies, well played and recorded. So far this box is a treasuretrove of excellence.

[rickardg]

Henry Purcell.
Fantasies for Strings.
Musica Amphion, Pieter Jan Belder.
On period instruments.

A marvelous set of Fantasies, well played and recorded. So far this box is a treasuretrove of excellence.

They've got that box in a bookshop I frequent, if you keep on about this you're going to wear me down...

Now playing:
Mozart, W A
Symphony no 40
Anima Eterna/Jos van Immerseel

[Harry]

They've got that box in a bookshop I frequent, if you keep on about this you're going to wear me down...

Now playing:
Mozart, W A
Symphony no 40
Anima Eterna/Jos van Immerseel

O, buy it, the price is low, and the quality is high throughout, plus the fact that Purcell's music is simply divine food for your soul!
Convinced now?

[Harry]

Muzio Clementi.
Complete Fortepiano sonatas, Volume II, cd II.
Miscellaneous works.
Costantino Mastroprimiano, fortepiano.

And yet again I return to this music, and with good reason, for it is in all respects a wonderful assessment of the quality Clementi can deliver. In the hands of Mastroprimiano, it becomes a starry heaven with glittering stars. He uses well tuned and gorgeous sounding instruments. You should not pass this music unnoticed, for you will miss out lots of fine compositions by the hands of this master of melody, and harmonious beauty.

[Que]

playing:
Mozart, W A
Symphony no 40
Anima Eterna/Jos van Immerseel

And does it meet your expectations?

Q

[FideLeo]

The postman just slipped this through the mail slot. 

Now that I have learned what people like here in UK by making friends with a couple of local fans of cm, I think Egarr here has a winner as far as THEIR taste is concerned.  Oh my this is so moderate, so deliberate, not to mention so discreet. "Sublime," in other words.    I couldn't share the Hantai WTC with my British friends for fear that they might disapprove of its wild ideas.  Now I know I have a safe choice when it is time to hear Bach together. 


BTW, this was inspired by Que, who might now want to focus on the bargain Beethoven conducted by Immerseel instead. 

[karlhenning]

Caught this a bit ago on the radio:

Carl Fruhling: Trio for clarinet, cello & piano in a Op 40
Michael Collins, clarinet
Steven Isserlis, cello
Stephen Hough, piano
RCA 63504

This sounds like something you might enjoy Karl.  Are you familiar with the piece?

Don't know it, Bill!

[karlhenning]

[ image of the Naxos release of Shostakovich's Hamlet deleted]

After watching Vertigo, this is stunningly apt listening!

Wonderful music, and an equally stunning film, Brian!

[rickardg]

I'm now on an instant rerun of Symphony no 41.

And does it meet your expectations?

It surpasses them! Exiting, fun and dancable. Surprisingly, to a newbie like me, it reminded me of Beethoven in places, you know, nails and hammers, but in a good way

 The outer movements almost made me fall off my chair, just listen to those timpani go twack. And the menuetto made me get up and dance around a little (hope no one saw me  ). If there was a weak spot would be the andante, is suppose it could be more cantabile and, well romantic, but i guess Immerseels point is that this isn't romantic music and it matches, rather than contrasts, the outer movements.

I think I have to listen to this in a pair of good headphones some day, there seems to be interesting stuff going on in the winds even in loud tutti sections.

Now on to the Basson Concerto.

[Sergeant Rock]

Glenn Gould and the Julliard Quartet playing the Ode to Napoleon:



If I close my eyes and imagine a guy in drag stripping, I could be in Paris, in the Spring 

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

An American in Paris (18'22)
a favorite from this fine disc...

The LP of that was one of my first classical purchases bought over forty years ago. Still my favorite versions of these two American classics.

Sarge

[MN Dave]

Henry Purcell.
Fantasies for Strings.
Musica Amphion, Pieter Jan Belder.
On period instruments.

A marvelous set of Fantasies, well played and recorded. So far this box is a treasuretrove of excellence.

I must have it!!!

[Kullervo]

Glenn Gould and the Julliard Quartet playing the Ode to Napoleon:



If I close my eyes and imagine a guy in drag stripping, I could be in Paris, in the Spring 

Springtime for Bonaparte? 

[Que]

BTW, this was inspired by Que, who might now want to focus on the bargain Beethoven conducted by Immerseel instead. 

Hehehe, so Egarr is boring unexciting... Not much use focussing on the Immerseel/LvB right now - I'll do that if en when it arrives.  

Focussing on this instead. After going through a Bruno Weil phase in Haydn symphonies, I'm pleasantly surprised by the sheer quality of these readings! A super bargain that ought to be on the shopping list of anyone who wants to have a serious go at Haydn.



Q

[Bogey]

Brahms Symphony No. 1
HvK/BPO
DG (1978? or was '77)

[ChamberNut]

Beethoven

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61;
Romance No. 1 in G major, Op. 40;
Romance No. 2 in F major, Op. 50.

Takako Nishizaki, violin
Slovak Philharmonic, Kenneth Jean

Naxos

[Sergeant Rock]

Springtime for Bonaparte? 

 

The Emp is causing a furor!
He's got those Russians on the jog
You gotta love that wacky frog!
The Emp is causing a furor
They can't say "no" to his demands
They're freaking out in foreign lands
He's got the whole world in his hands!


Staying with poetry and string quartets, I'm now listening to Lee Hyla's Howl, the poem read by Allen Ginsberg:




Sarge

[Kullervo]

The Emp is causing a furor!
He's got those Russians on the jog
You gotta love that wacky frog!
The Emp is causing a furor
They can't say "no" to his demands
They're freaking out in foreign lands
He's got the whole world in his hands!

*laughing*

I'm listening to this disc, which I have fallen in love with: