What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[71 dB]

I envy you... the first time I heard this VC it was pure bliss... an LP with Viktor Tretyakov playing it... but I can't remember the orchestra and the conductor. 

Well, now I have the work on CD. Naturally I have heard bits of it on radio over the years. 

It's a calm/soft concerto but very good nevertheless.

[Florestan]

Well, now I have the work on CD. Naturally I have heard bits of it on radio over the years. 

It's a calm/soft concerto but very good nevertheless.

Soft... hmmmm... aparently so but listen to it carefully and you'll hear guns under roses

[71 dB]

Soft... hmmmm... aparently so but listen to it carefully and you'll hear guns under roses

Guns and roses? Sounds like heavy rock! 

[Florestan]

Guns and roses? Sounds like heavy rock! 

Yep...  replace Axl Rose with Johannes Brahms and you've got the idea! Now really, Brahms beats any rock band under the sun! And mind you, I used to like heavy rock.

[Lilas Pastia]

Justin August Just (1750-1791) - performed by Trio 1790 on period instruments, including the pianoforte - almost an exact contemporary of Mozart; an early contributor to this genre - love this group on other recordings - these are also done quite well on the outstanding CPO label - 

How strange! Those trios are also on Walsingham Classics (Camerata Classica, also on PI), I never imagined there could be another recording Indeed they are very good works that hold the attention throughout.

[sidoze]

Pollini playing Kreisleriana live in Salzburg, 1982. Now this is Pollini. Only about a billion times more Schumannesque than his commercial recording.

[Lilas Pastia]

A clutch of downloads sent to me From Poland With Love .

I was very impresssed by the first piece, Nowowiejski Overture to the ballet 'King of the Winds' . It evokes a mix of Janacek and the seesawing Bruckner string figurations of the Te Deum. Actually, this is the piece I like most here, and a first rate work altogether. Unfortunately it doesn't appear that the whole ballet has ever been recorded.

The technical quality of the Szymanowski 3rd symphony didn't allow to savour the work as I would have wished. I doesn't do justice to the composer's superb ear for
sonorities (very dim broadcast sound) . There's a vocal piece by Augustyn Bloch that is quite good as pure music, but I'm sure I'd like it more if I could figure out what the soprano is singing. Very nice music, though.

The following work is really outstanding: Wlodzmierz Kotonski Symphony No. 1 (1995). Excellent choice. Reminds me of the sound world in Anders Eliasson's first symphony, although it's shorter and the writing is more elliptic. I suppose there's a second symphony? If it surfaces somewhere I'd definitely grab it.

Finally, Pawel Mykietyn's short Cappriccio for double bass piece makes a nice, witty and intriguing postlude.  Although these works are not really meant to be listened to as a sequence, the whole program is very well designed and I enjoyed its variety. The Nowowiejski and Kotonski pieces are works of real stature by any standard.

[Daverz]

Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Symphony No. 1 - Paul Freeman conducting the LSO and String Quartet No. 1 played by the Juilliard Quartet.  On a Columbia Masterworks Lp titled Black Composers Series Vol. 1.

[beclemund]

Harry made me do it...

My first exposure to Rautavaara was in preparation for a symphony visit maybe two years ago, now. Hillary Hahn was playing with the local symphony (Glazunov's violin concerto in A minor) and the program also included Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus along with Beethoven's Pastoral. Not familiar with the Glazunov or the Rautavaara selections, I picked up a few recordings. Cantus Arcticus was immediately enchanting. A concerto for birds and orchestra, the orchestra plays the part of the environment (the arctic) to the birds creating some fascinating sound scapes.

Anyhow, soon after that, I picked up this recording to explore more; it was not as uniquely moving as the bird song so my exploration of his works ended--for the time being. It has been quite a while since I visited the wonderfully serene sound that Rautavaara creates and that Vänskä and the Lahti group bring to life. So thanks for reminding me, Harry, to make a return Journey.

By the way, here is the Cantus that I purchased:



I think Ondine has recorded most if not all of Rautavaara's works. And if this one is any indication of the quality of the performances, then you probably cannot go wrong starting your explorations with work from that label.

[Mark]

A 're-engineered' (by me) Brahms German Requiem (Maazel/New Philharmonia & Chorus/Contrubas/Prey).

I've long enjoyed this performance from 1977, originally released on CBS, but the Sony reissue I picked up from a charity shop has possibly the worst sound engineering (remastering?) I've ever heard. Timpani sound like biscuit tins being hit with hot dogs; there's a general muddiness that clouds (nay, overshadows) the sonics throughout; and until the soprano voices cut through it, there's hollowness to everything in the mid-to-high range. Oh, and the whole thing sounds congested.

So I ran the disc through Nero 7, played about with the EQ to balance things in a way more natural to my ears, and slightly widened the stereo image. I also lowered the output gain to prevent some irritating peak distortion. Hey presto: a recording I now prefer greatly to the 'original'

[BachQ]

Good morning (afternoon/night)!

Good day!

[BachQ]

Harry made me do it...

Famous last words ........

[George]

Beethoven

Brendel, Vox

Sonatas 1-10




For more click here.

[PaulR]

Shostakovich:  2nd Piano Trio Beaux Arts Trio

great piece.........

[Todd]

This weekend I was able to give a listen to James Levine's now ancient RCA recordings of Mahler's 6th and 9th symphonies.  Why hasn't RCA reissued Levine's Mahler cycle I wonder?  (Well, it does look like Arkiv is slowly reissuing them.)  These are both superb performances.  I rate several more highly for each work, but both are extremely well done.  The 9th is very long at over 90 minutes, yet Levine and the Phillies keep the tension high.  The latter part of the Adagio is wondrous.  I think I'll try some more if I can.

[M forever]

This weekend I was able to give a listen to James Levine's now ancient RCA recordings of Mahler's 6th and 9th symphonies.  Why hasn't RCA reissued Levine's Mahler cycle I wonder?  (Well, it does look like Arkiv is slowly reissuing them.)  These are both superb performances.  I rate several more highly for each work, but both are extremely well done.  The 9th is very long at over 90 minutes, yet Levine and the Phillies keep the tension high.  The latter part of the Adagio is wondrous.  I think I'll try some more if I can.

I don't think he actually recorded a complete cycle back then. He didn't do the 2nd and 8th, although there is a live recording of the 8th with the CSO from Ravinia of which only the first part was released on a centennial collection by the orchestra.

There is also a more recent live recording of the 9th with the MP which a friend gave to me because he somehow ended up with two copies, but I haven't listened to it yet. Apparently, it's really slow, too.

I have the Philadelphia recording of the 9th, too, but haven't listened to it in ages, and the CSO 3rd which I find pretty good but not really "special", but it's several ticks better recorded than the glaring and harsh Decca recordings made there in the 70s, so it's interesting to listen to for that.


Speaking of complete cycles, the highly interesting cycle with Boulez will finally be finished with this release later this year:

[Solitary Wanderer]

[Harry]

Henri Brod. (1801-1838)

Wind Quintets, opus 2, 1-3.

Albert Schweitzer Quintet.

Fine uplifting wind music, that will blow out the sleep in your head, and believe me it was there as a heavy cloud. Coffee in the mean time has to do the rest.
This unknown juggler of windnotes composer, is doing a fine job in the tradition of writing at that time, not special or anything, but plain nice. Not that he had much time of living to progress into a more accomplished composer.
The performers do not need introduction, and the sound is just fine!

And a good Monday morning to you all my friends, may the day be a happy one, and may you prosper!

[Harry]

Sir Arthur Somervell.

Violin concerto in G major.

Anthony Marwood, violin.
BBC Scottish SO/Martyn Brabbins.

I think this series from Hyperion with the Romantic violin Concertos absolutely ravishing, and a great treasure trove for me. This is the 5th volume, and it is coupled with the equally impressive violin concerto from Coleridge Taylor. Hyperion has a impressive rooster of musicians at their disposal that do them proud. Furthermore their recordings are almost always topnotch, as this one is. So far I collected them all, and they do not disappoint in any way. The music is well written, and children of their time.

[val]

JS BACH: Violin Concertos  / Elizabeth Wallfisch, Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment

A good version, not very exciting, but with good phrasing and very poetic moments. At least, much better than Wallfisch previous recording with Robert King.