What are you listening to now?

[Todd]

[Coopmv]

Now playing the following SACD, a recent arrival for a first listen ...

[Wakefield]

Thanks for reminding me of Stefano Montanari. I purchased many months ago his Bach sonatas for violin and harpsichord (with Rousset) and his Vivaldi opus 3 and 8 (with Dantone), but theCDs were still unlistened to. To day I listened to all six CDs , and I must say, that I largely agree with your friend. Montanari plays the Bach sonatas effortless and with pure tone and the interpretation is eloquent and imaginative with nice variations in repeats. In the Vivaldi works he is a splendid soloist all way through, also here adding some nice and stylish passing notes and ornamentation. His interpretation is fervent and comitted. My only slight reservation relates to some of the changes of dynamics, but I think Dantone is responsible for this. I shall certainly try to get hold of his Bach solo works.

Just one note: I was talking about his sonatas & partitas for solo violin, recently released by the Italian magazine Amadeus; not about his sonatas for harpsichord and violin, which I believe he has recorded two times. So the favorable comments of my friend (I haven't listened to the Amadeus recording) are referred to the sonatas & partitas. 

As to his Vivaldi, currently I'm unable to stand those extreme and, IMO, totally exaggerated and arbitrary dynamic contrasts, independently who's the guilty. 

[jlaurson]

Earlier:


Havergal Brian
Symphonies 17 & 32
A.Leaper / RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 
Naxos
German link - UK link

Now (apart from a little side-stepping into a Mozart PC No.18 comparison Ashkenazy/Perahia on Spotify):


B. Martinů
Complete Piano Works
Emil Leichner
Supraphon
German link - UK link

Namely the Fantasy & Toccata
and the Etudes & Polkas.

[TheGSMoeller]

Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie
Frank Shipway/São Paulo Symphony Orchestra

This 2012 SACD release is stunning. I don't throw the terms benchmark or definitive around much, nor do I pay much attention to them, but this could rival any of those bench-itives that might top those lists. I'll explain, I for one have never jumped out of my seat to obtain the next Sao Paulo SO or Frank Shipway recordings to be released. Outside of Sao Paulo's Villa-Lobos and Shipway's...well, nothing, these are fairly new names to me. But this performance, and group, have two very strong and unbeatable attributes in their favor. They are not afraid of this music, and because of that, they play the living-hell out of it! They perform as if they are on that summit. This recording of Eine Alpensinfonie is fearless and daring, frightening and compelling. And all in a gloriously intimate and massive sounding quality, you're not in the audience, you're in the flute section. It's been a while since an Alpensinfonie floored me like this one. My man Hurwitz dogged it, but I don't think his negative views of the performance were accurate. It's a long-timed performance of Alpensinfonie, but you would never know being completely lost in the music. Now that I've overrated this disc, I would be interested in others reactions that have heard this.

[Mirror Image]

Dmitri Shostakovich
Violin Concerto No.1

[asin]B004AUUNVC[/asin]

Thumbs up! That's an excellent performance of Shostakovich's VC No. 1. One of the best I've heard. I like Batiashvili's violin tone and how she achieves a beautiful, soaring sound versus a scratchy, harsh tone like Oistrakh and Vengerov. This concerto isn't meant to be beautiful all the time, but I think a violinist's tone is crucial to enjoyment of the music, but that's just my view. I'm sure many feel differently, but, for me, if the allure of the tone isn't there, then I have a hard time getting into the performance. Again, that's just me.

[Sadko]

Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie
Frank Shipway/São Paulo Symphony Orchestra

This 2012 SACD release is stunning. I don't throw the terms benchmark or definitive around much, nor do I pay much attention to them, but this could rival any of those bench-itives that might top those lists. I'll explain, I for one have never jumped out of my seat to obtain the next Sao Paulo SO or Frank Shipway recordings to be released. Outside of Sao Paulo's Villa-Lobos and Shipway's...well, nothing, these are fairly new names to me. But this performance, and group, have two very strong and unbeatable attributes in their favor. They are not afraid of this music, and because of that, they play the living-hell out of it! They perform as if they are on that summit. This recording of Eine Alpensinfonie is fearless and daring, frightening and compelling. And all in a gloriously intimate and massive sounding quality, you're not in the audience, you're in the flute section. It's been a while since an Alpensinfonie floored me like this one. My man Hurwitz dogged it, but I don't think his negative views of the performance were accurate. It's a long-timed performance of Alpensinfonie, but you would never know being completely lost in the music. Now that I've overrated this disc, I would be interested in others reactions that have heard this.

That sounds very interesting

[TheGSMoeller]

That sounds very interesting

It's available on Spotify if you want to give it a listen, Sadko. 

[Mirror Image]

Dmitri Shostakovich
Violin Concerto No.1

[asin]B004AUUNVC[/asin]

Let me also add, Ilaria, I think this is the best Passacaglia I've heard on record. Batiashvili treats the movement like a requiem with a restrained approach that doesn't lose sight of the musical narrative.

[listener]

CHARPENTIER: Litanies à la Vièrge H. 82  Magnificat H. 76
Quatre antiennes à la Vièrge  H.44 -47 and more
Le Concert Spirituel    Hervé Niquet, cond.
SZYMANOWSKI`:   Harnasie,   
Polish Radio S.O., Krakow, and chorus     Antoni Wit, cond.
Symphony no.4 (concertante)
Piotr Paleczy, piano     same orch.,  Jerzy Semkow, cond.
2 Mazurkas, op.50   Theme and Variations, op. 3
Felicja Blumental, piano

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Absolutely gorgeous and my favorite performance of this masterpiece. This is music of the soul.

[Gold Knight]

Gustav Mahler--Symphony No.5 in C-Sharp Minor, performed by the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Haydn, symphony no. 104, "London", Kempe/Philharmonia Orchestra.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Now: Haydn, Op. 76, "Emperor" quartet, Emerson.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Delius' The Walk to the Paradise Garden. Splendid performance from Marriner/ASMF.

[val]

SCHUMANN:       Kreisleriana                           / Yuri Egorov

To me, Kreisleriana is the absolute masterpiece of Schumann.

Egorov was one of the best interpreters of Schumann (excepting his version of Carnaval that I don't like much). In the Kreisleriana he shows all the imagination, the contrasts, even the moments of deep introspection that the work requires. One of the four greatest versions, with Nat, Horowitz and, more recently, Jonathan Biss.

[Fafner]

I mainly listen to the Shostakovich and the Rachmaninov, I'm not very familiar with the other composers included (but I like Part's Spiegel im Spiegel very much) Anyway, I think it's a great disc, very well played and recorded. Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No.1 is amazing, one of the best performances I've listened to so far; Lisa Batishvili and Salonen did an excellent job in the Scherzo, expressing a fine virtuosity and creating a suggestive, lively, diabolic atmosphere; hauntingly beautiful. It is perfectly counterbalanced by the Passacaglia, which has great emotional depth and intensity.
The Lyrical Waltz from Seven Doll's Dances is a delightful piece, very elegant. The combination Batiashvili/Grimaud work wonderfully in Rach's Vocalise, such a passionate, beautiful music.

Thumbs up! That's an excellent performance of Shostakovich's VC No. 1. One of the best I've heard. I like Batiashvili's violin tone and how she achieves a beautiful, soaring sound versus a scratchy, harsh tone like Oistrakh and Vengerov. This concerto isn't meant to be beautiful all the time, but I think a violinist's tone is crucial to enjoyment of the music, but that's just my view. I'm sure many feel differently, but, for me, if the allure of the tone isn't there, then I have a hard time getting into the performance. Again, that's just me.

Thanks. I'll get it and hear for myself.  I currently own Shostakovich VC1 with David Oistrakh and Hilary Hahn, but a few more recordings won't hurt. 

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Sonatas, opus 40, No. 1/2/3.
Disc I.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

After Clementi early this morning, I put this disc in the player, also a firm recommendation.

[prémont]

Just one note: I was talking about his sonatas & partitas for solo violin, recently released by the Italian magazine Amadeus; not about his sonatas for harpsichord and violin, which I believe he has recorded two times. So the favorable comments of my friend (I haven't listened to the Amadeus recording) are referred to the sonatas & partitas. 

As to his Vivaldi, currently I'm unable to stand those extreme and, IMO, totally exaggerated and arbitrary dynamic contrasts, independently who's the guilty. 

Yes, I know that you wrote about the S&P´s. I just commented the high standard of his playing as displayed in the sonatas for violin and harpsichord and his contribution to the two Vivaldi sets. This makes me believe, that his S&P´s must be most interesting. But it seems difficult to get hold of them outside Italy?