What are you listening to now?

[The One]

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[San Antone]

I value this recording pretty highly as well, although Venezia e Napoli is missing and Grimwood is no Cziffra. (But some people would argue that's a good thing!)

Guilty.      

[André]

Recordings of large choral works with multiple soloists are bound to disappoint, even slightly, in one way or another. That is not the case here. After listening to it again today, this recording will be my benchmark for a totally unified artistic conception of this leviathan of a work. Be it the incredible soloists, the chamber orchestra derived from the Vienna Philharmonic or the conducting genius of Wöldike, everything combines to produce a musical statement of staggering power. I will have that in mind when I listen to Karajan's version in the DGG choral box. I'm bracing myself for a cultural shock. The sound is ok, primitive stereo, but satisfactory all the same.

[ritter]

Recordings of large choral works with multiple soloists are bound to disappoint, even slightly, in one way or another. That is not the case here. After listening to it again today, this recording will be my benchmark for a totally unified artistic conception of this leviathan of a work. Be it the incredible soloists, the chamber orchestra derived from the Vienna Philharmonic or the conducting genius of Wöldike, everything combines to produce a musical statement of staggering power. I will have that in mind when I listen to Karajan's version in the DGG choral box. I'm bracing myself for a cultural shock. The sound is ok, primitive stereo, but satisfactory all the same.

...and it boasts Teresa Stich-Randall among the soloists. 

I should revisit it soon.

[André]

...and it boasts Teresa Stich-Randall among the soloists. 

I should revisit it soon.

Indeed, and she sings like an angel !! The Evangelist, though, is the most affecting of the group. I normally wouldn't consider this part a 'make or break' factor in a recording of the St-Matthew, but Uno Ebrelius is that rare bird: he makes you hang to his every word. The dramatic recitative before the big alto aria (no 13 on disc 2 here) is heart stopping.

[Todd]

Disc four.  The third Op 59 quartet and Op 74.  The last Rasumovsky is outstanding, with smooth, fluid playing.  Same with Op 74.  The sound on the latter is slightly better, with a bit more cello heft and a warmer violin tone.  This is turning out to be an eminently satisfying set.

[HIPster]

Viva! 

[asin]B002YOJC5Y[/asin]

Just arrived: marvelous music and recorded sound. 

Hat tip to Que. 

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Listening to act 1 of Walküre, Thielemann again although I did not want to have to put myself through listening to the Vienna wieners again so I am listening to this one from Bayreuth. It isn't as much of a travesty as the Tristan und Isolde I listened to earlier, but the same problems with the handling of tempo arise again, notably in scene 1 when Wagner even gives a lot of indication as to where to speed up and slow down. Thielemann doesn't follow these indications, but he doesn't make any convincing point of not following them. Rather, the music sounds as if it is either stretched out of shape, thus losing any momentum to serve the drama as Wagner undoubtedly had in mind, or uncomfortably squashed into a space it doesn't fit in, making it sound constipated.

In contrast to this there is a 1955 live performance by Keilberth I quite like for how he manages to keep an underlying sense of pulse which more naturally relaxes or intensifies depending on how it best serves the drama, always conscious of what is in the score and always keeping a wonderful sense of momentum and timing.

[kishnevi]

When there was discussion about this one, there was mention of several others and I ended up getting one of them when the price was good.
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I have only had the opportunity to listen to the Gorus once, but I was floored by it. It is just so good. I got this despite getting the Ciccolini set, because 1) I wanted something in better sound, and 2) I didn't feel like the Ciccolini was always ideal (although he has some phenomenally good moments). Anyway, I had never heard of Gorus before, and I don't see anything of his out there on cd (not on Amazon anyway), but what a brilliant performance.

Checks the Asin link.
Discovers Movie Mars has this for $12.98 plus shipping. Orders it. Even if Movie Mars ships by literal snail mail.
Thank you.
TD
New arrival.
[asin]B077MQBZP7[/asin]

[Alek Hidell]

I think the instrument he played the Liszt on was destroyed... which is one reason the fortepiano aspect of his career was, thus far, rather brief.

What Pat B said. How the hell did the instrument get destroyed??

Anyway, TD - still listening to this:



And, related to the above, I've also played this:



I'm light-years away from being an ivory-tickling connoisseur like Todd or amw, but this does indeed seem to me to be quite good (just as Todd has said). When I first listened to it some months ago, it was (I think) my first exposure to solo-piano Liszt. I've certainly been keen to hear more.

[Mirror Image]

The 3rd:



It's certainly easy to hear why this was Schuman's 'breakthrough'. An amazing work.

[Todd]

1

[SymphonicAddict]

Symphony No. 2



A full-blooded composition performed magnificently. I didn't remember its intense energy.

[anothername]

Symphony No. 2



A full-blooded composition performed magnificently. I didn't remember its intense energy.

It's a stunning recording, I have the original on EMI, sounding a bit better.

[SymphonicAddict]

It's a stunning recording, I have the original on EMI, sounding a bit better.

I agree with you, it's a remarkable rendition. Then I'll have to get them if you say that EMI set sounds better. Thanks for alerting me!

[kyjo]

Symphony No. 2



A full-blooded composition performed magnificently. I didn't remember its intense energy.

Indeed! That's a great performance of one of my very favorite symphonies.

[kyjo]

Shostakovich's Cello Sonata:

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Mork and Vogt really get under the skin of this masterful sonata of contrasts.

Beethoven's Cello Sonata no. 4:

[asin]B00004WGEX[/asin]

A really characterful, gruff (in a good way) performance which suits this unusual, quixotic sonata.

P.S. I'm planning to program both of these works on my spring recital.

[RebLem]

On Wednesday, 24 January 2018, I listened to 5 CDs.


1)  Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805): Arie accademiche for soprano & orchestra (7)--Tr. 1, Si, veramente io deggio [Yes, it is true...] in E Flat Major, G. 544 (10'29)  |Tr. 2, Se non ti moro allato [If I cannot die by your side] in B Flat Major, G. 545 (11'02)  |Tr. 3, De respirar lasciatemi [Ah! Let me breathe...] in G Major, G. 546 (12'30)  |Tr. 4, Caro, son tua cosi [Dearest, I am yours so completely...] in A Major, G. 547 (8'30)  |Tr. 5, Misera! Dove son? [Wretched one!  Where am I?] in D Minor, G. 548 (7'30)  |Tr. 6, Care luci, che regnate [Dear eyes, which reign...] in D Major, G. 549 (9'18)  |Tr. 7, Infelice invan mi lagno [Unhappy, in vain I pity...] in E Flat Major, G. 550 (9'45)--Adelina Scarabelli, soprano, Sonorum Concentus Roma, Federico Amendola, cond. & harpsichord.  Rec. 12/1993 Oratorio del Gonfalone, Rome, Italy.  A Koch/Schwann CD. 

Arie is the plural of aria, in case you were wondering.  Sonorum Concentus is a chamber ensemble consisting of 4 first violins, 4 second violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, a double bass, an oboe, a bassoon, and two horns plus, of course, the harpsichordist/conductor.

Ms. Scarabelli is not sufficiently well known yet to have a Wikipedia article about her, but you can find lots of references to her many recordings through a Google search, and she has a number of performances on YouTube.  She has a strong soprano bel canto voice.  These are fine performances of wonderfully vital works.


2) W. A. Mozart (1756-91):  Tr. 1-4, Sym. 29 in A Major, K. 201 (27'37)  |Tr. 5-10, Divertimento 17 in D Major, K. 334 (45'23)--Rudolf Barshai, cond.,  Moscow Chamber Orch..  Rec. live 14 OCT 1963 (Tr. 1-4), & 9 Apr 1968 (Tr. 5-10).  This is CD 4 of a 10 CD Brilliant set of performances by these forces.  Licensed from Gostelradiofund, Russian Federation.

These are good performances, but not quite up to the highest standard.


3)  F. J. Haydn (1732-1809): Tr. 1-4, Sym. 61 in D Major (20'32)  |Tr. 5-8, Sym. 82 in D Major (20'09)  |Tr. 9-12, Sym. 63 in C Major "La Roxelane" (19'41)--Adam Fischer, cond., Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orch., rec. 1996/7 Haydnsaal, Esterhazy Palace, Eisenstadt, Austria.  This is CD 18 of a 33 CD Brilliant set of all the Haydn symphonies.  Licensed from Nimbus Records.

Excellent performances.


4)  Tr. 1-3, Mozart: Piano Concerto 23 in A Major, K. 488  |Tr. 4-6, Piano Concerto 27 in B Flat Major, K. 595--Clifford Curzon, George Szell, Wiener Philharmoniker.  Rec. in the Sofiensaal, Vienna, 7-10 DEC 1964.  CD 3 of a 23 CD + 1 DVD set of Curzon's complete recordings for DECCA.

These are strong, idiomatic performances by 2 of the great Mozarteans of the 20th century.


5)  Tr. 1-9, Olivier Messiaen (1908-92):  Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps [Quartet for the End of Time] for clarinet, violin, cello, & piano (1940) (46'49)--Ensemble Walter Boeykens (Walter Boeykens, clarinet, Marjeta Korosek, violin, Roel Dieltiens, cello, Robert Groslot, piano)--harmonia mundi CD.

Messiaen wrote this work while a POW in a camp in Silesia in 1940.  He wrote it for this rather peculiar combination of instruments because that was what he had available among his fellow prisoners.  The title is inspired by the statement in the Book of the Apocalypse (the Catholic term for what most Protestant bibles call The Book of Revelations that "There will be no more Time."  It is, of course, a dour, somber meditation, beautifully performed by these players.

[Mandryka]

Davitt Moroney, Louis Couperin suite in C major. He sets a basic pulse in each piece and marches along to it. 

[Que]

Morning listening is a continuation of this:

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Q