What are you listening to now?

[Karl Henning]

The Esterhazy retinue were the ultimate bourgeois avant la lettre and Haydn was fond of surprising them with all kinds of tricks and traps such as false endings, bassoon farts, retuning in the middle of a movement, etc. He became famous for (among many other things) his ingenious, bottomless bag of tricks. These « special effects » should not be smoothed over, but be given their full due. 

Thanks.

[Brian]

Piano Concerto No. 1 with Lukas Geniušas

[Mahlerian]

Ligeti: Musica Ricercata
Mei Yi Foo
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[André]

The 'teardrops' episode in the finale of Quartet II never fails to move me. The pizzicati are supposed to represent the composer's tears as he laments his daughter's death (she drowned while swimming out at sea). Powerful yet strangely understated. In his intimate music Leifs was uncharacteristically undemonstrative. The emotion is there, but you have to be attentive, it's not attention grabbing. This quartet is a requiem for four stringed instruments. It is titled Vita et mors, and ends with the living's presence transformed into memories.

Quartet III is a kind of musical reflexion on some of El Greco's most famous paintings. As befits the subject, the music is strange, contorted, anguished, uncomfortable, alternating between suppressed wails and violent clashes. Not for the faint of heart.

[Todd]

[aligreto]

Langgaard: Music of the Spheres [Rozhdestvensky]....





Simply wonderful and intriguing music.

[Mahlerian]

Reger: Sonata for organ in D minor
Franz Lehrndorfer
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[Josquin13]

Today's listening--

Martinu's 3 Cello Sonatas--Josef Chuchro (cello) and Josef Hala (piano)--from a 1984 recording on Supraphon. I found the 3rd sonata the most interesting of the 3, at least today.  The whole CD is on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GODkGVGy9Xw

Then I listened to Allan Pettersson's 7th Symphony, twice--the Swedish R.S.O. premiere, conducted by Sergui Comissiona.  After listening to the entire 42 minute symphony, I found the sound on the You Tube clip to be slightly muted, so I listened again to the last 30 minutes of the symphony via a YT clip of the film that was made at the concert, and found the sound more present, i.e., I could hear the whole score more clearly in the last 15 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=ymq1bruOayo

Here's the full performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxQyUzOXPiY

I find Pettersson's 7th symphony to be one of the most beautiful, lyrical, haunting, moving (in the final 15 minutes), searingly intense and powerful symphonies composed in the 20th century. Pettersson ability to compose for a full orchestra is also impressive, and at times, astonishing. What I like most about Comissiona's interpretation (versus others) is that he fully gets the romantic elements in this symphony, and therefore is able to bring out its lyricism & varied emotions better than conductors that focus more intently on its modern aspects. (Not surprisingly, Pettersson asked Comissiona to premiere his next symphony, the 8th.)  (I also like Leif Segerstam's recording, but my 1st choice remains Comissiona).

When I think about how horribly Pettersson physically suffered in his life, I find myself in awe of him, and inspired, that he was somehow able to get himself to his writing desk each morning to compose, and find the strength and will to create music of such incredible depth, imagination, and beauty--a masterpiece.

[ritter]

This historic document (live recordings from 1965 in Moscow):

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An all-French program, including Honegger's Symphony No. 2, a  symphonic (I mean this in the sense of the size of the ensemble, as un-HIP as you can imagine) suite from Rameau's Dardanus, La Mer, and the second suite from Bacchus et Ariane. Charles Munch leads very well-paced performances, but the sound and the execution by the USSR State Academic Symphony Orchestra leave a bit to be desired. Not something I think I'll return to often. 

[aligreto]

Janacek: Sinfonietta [Belohlavek]....





This is a very fine version of this wonderful work.

[Sergeant Rock]

Victor Bendix Symphony No.3 A minor




Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Victor Bendix Symphony No.1 C major "Fjeldstigning" (Mountain Climbing)




Sarge

[Brian]

Victor Bendix Symphony No.1 C major "Fjeldstigning" (Mountain Climbing)



Sarge

How is Victor Bendix going, Sarge? Never heard of him!

[Madiel]

Brahms, Piano Quartet No.2

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[Sergeant Rock]

How is Victor Bendix going, Sarge? Never heard of him!

A Dane of Jewish ancestry (1851-1926). He's going quite well for my Romantic, late-Romantic taste. A mishmash of Brahms, Wagner, Glazunov, Gade, Schumann, Elgar... More lyrical than dramatic.

Sarge

[André]

Josquin13: re, Petterson's 7th symphony. I agree with everything you wrote. What a work, and what a composer !


.............................................................


TD:



An excellent conception and interpretation, but one that leaves me slightly disappointed. The soloists in the first 2 parts have tons of vocal personality - Moll in particular, who easily upstages everybody within shouting range in his every pronouncements as Raphael. By contrast we are presented with all too human voices in the 3rd part: they simply do not measure up to their angelic counterparts' . Helena Döse and Benjamin Luxon are serviceable but rather faceless. In theory the decision to cast the work's personae with 5 singers should have worked. But here it's a letdown. Still, this set is worth listening to for the sake of Dorati's vigorous conducting and everybody's obvious involvement, as well as the nice and rare coupling, the beautiful Salve Regina.

[aligreto]

Irgens Jensen: Japanischer Fruhling [Fjeldstad]....





This is a very appealing, engaging and sometimes enchanting work in a great performance and which is very well played and sung here.

[Kontrapunctus]

File this under "Difficult Listening." Not really music in a traditional sense—closer to very violent sound pieces. Interesting all the same, and very well recorded. (I just discovered that I now have two copies, so PM me if you want to buy one!!)

[Sergeant Rock]

Then I listened to Allan Pettersson's 7th Symphony, twice--the Swedish R.S.O. premiere, conducted by Sergui Comissiona...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=ymq1bruOayo

Here's the full performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxQyUzOXPiY

Thanks for the links. I have Albrecht, Segerstam and Dorati but have never heard the Comissiona before.

Sarge

[Spineur]

Some Schubert before bed
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