What are you listening to now?

[Traverso]

Mahler

Das Klagende Lied

[Roasted Swan]

Partly in response to a mention of Ormandy and Shostakovich I've been listening to:
[asin]B000025H7D[/asin] and [asin]B000024QV5[/asin].  Even these old "Sony Essentials" discs have come up sounding very well in comparison to the murky dreadfulness I remember of so many CBS LP's in the 1970's.  Symphony No.5 gets a good but very 'straight' performance - perhaps a bit literal and without the irony that you expect to hear in the Post-Testimony world.  A staright-forward 2nd movement Landler and a beautifully played Largo but without the angst some find and a finale without much potential equivocation.  As such it works well but I do think there are darker layers to this piece. 

I really liked the performance of No.1 - very brash and brilliant - emphasising the youthful bravura of the piece - here the slightly strident recording adds to the occasion.  My real surprise on this disc were all the fillers from Andre Kostelanetz and "his orchestra".  The orchestra I take to mean the New York PO and they play with ridiculous brilliance.  These are little snippets of inconsequence from Shostakovich's pen but when played with the fizz and vigour and virtuosity they are here its pretty irresistible.

[Spineur]

I have not been listening to Bach cello suites in a year !  Time to fix this !

[asin]B000T2OMX0[/asin]

[André]

'Gran Cassa e Piatti' as the score asks for are missing 

Thanks for posting the score page!

Glad you could point out the missing instruments !

As for me I was intrigued by the mention of the « cimbasso » in the brass section. It appears to have seen the light of day around 1815 and been used extensively in italian opera houses. Here's one contemporary to Bellini's time:


And


Variously described as a bass horn, contrabass trombone, its shape has evolved over the years. Here's the modern version:

[Spineur]

Some of these ancient brass instrument are quite interesting and bizarre.  In the baroque era, this instrument "Le serpent" was used as a bass brass instrument.  Apparently it isnt difficult to play, but there are no serpent aka snake classes in conservatories.

[aligreto]

Brahms: Sonata in F minor for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120 No. 1 [Berkes/Jandó]





A wonderful work played with great verve here but, unfortunately, recorded in a very dry acoustic which registers the clarinet on the harsh side.

[Turner]

Lots of early evening birdsong.

Am having a short vacation in a small house with sea view, in the old car-free island village of Nyord, with an adjoning bird reserve. Lovely, sunny spring weather.

[Traverso]

Bach

[aligreto]

Brahms: Clarinet Sonata in E flat major Op. 120 No. 2 [King/Benson]





The first thing that I notice in the Helios CD in comparison with the Naxos version of these two works is the much warmer recording acoustic which registers the clarinet's tone much warmer. The other noticeable difference is that the two instruments are much more balanced in the Helios recording.

As a result the Naxos CD above will now be culled from my collection.

[aligreto]

Lots of early evening birdsong.

Am having a short vacation in a small house with sea view, in the old car-free island village of Nyord, with an adjoning bird reserve. Lovely, sunny spring weather.

Sounds wonderful 

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Lots of early evening birdsong.

Am having a short vacation in a small house with sea view, in the old car-free island village of Nyord, with an adjoining bird reserve. Lovely, sunny spring weather.

Enviable, indeed! Free Messiaen. 

[aligreto]

JC Bach: Symphonies Op. 6 Nos. 1 & 2 [Halstead]

[Baron Scarpia]

Brahms: Clarinet Sonata in E flat major Op. 120 No. 2 [King/Benson]





The first thing that I notice in the Helios CD in comparison with the Naxos version of these two works is the much warmer recording acoustic which registers the clarinet's tone much warmer. The other noticeable difference is that the two instruments are much more balanced in the Helios recording.

As a result the Naxos CD above will now be culled from my collection.

If you get the de Peyer you will never have to cull again.

[asin]B000000AGC[/asin]

[Traverso]

If you get the de Peyer you will never have to cull again.

[asin]B000000AGC[/asin]

I have Gervase de Peyer.

[aligreto]

If you get the de Peyer you will never have to cull again.

[asin]B000000AGC[/asin]

I have de Peyer/Barenboim; does that count? 

[aligreto]

Vivaldi:





Concerto for flute, violin, bassoon and continuo RV 100
Concerto for flute, violin, bassoon and continuo RV 96
Concerto for flute, violin and continuo RV 84

I have had this CD for a very long time and I have always liked it for the intimacy of the music and performances. It was one of my earliest "On original instruments" CDs and it made a big impact on me.

[Baron Scarpia]

I have de Peyer/Barenboim; does that count? 

Is that under auspices of the Melos ensemble?

[SymphonicAddict]

Requiem



An extremely powerful work.

[Todd]

Disc two.  More idiosyncratic Debussy.  Some of the early pieces in the set (eg, La Puerta del Vino) take on a free sound, almost like European jazz, but good.  Overall, Haimovsky's style seems even better suited to the second book, making it sound even more forward looking musically.  To be sure, his playing in the last two pieces is loose and free to the point of sounding (delightfully) jagged and almost improvised, but it works.  His playing might be a bit too much for Children's Corner, but even so, it works nicely for what it is.  Five bucks well spent.

[Karl Henning]

That's redundant. A day with Bach is by definition sunny. 

The case for this, is strong