What are you listening to now?

Started by Dungeon Master, February 15, 2013, 09:13:11 PM

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Harry

#125340
Henri Vieuxtemps.
Cello concerto No 1 opus 46 in A minor, and No. 2 opus 50 in B minor.
Capriccio pour Alto seul, opus 55 in C minor, "Hommage a Paganini"
Wen Sinn Yang, Cello.
Evergreen SO, Gernot Schmalfuss.


If you like the violin concertos, you will also enjoy the cello variant.  Although they are less well known, they are no less in beautiful melodies. Expertly orchestrated and symphonically conceived works. The character of the movements are imaginative, and always original. Traditional in design, especially the first concerto, but never less than hugely creative. The music reveals elegance with the added warmth of the low register of the cello. No wonder that it is a favourite instrument amongst romantic composers. The Capriccio is a bit of a encore number due to its virtuosity and consequent effect on the public. It has a lot of resonant multiple stops, thus it makes quite an impression.
The performance leaves nothing to be desired, Wen Sinn Yang is an excellent cellist, who is well able to shine with this music, and is more than adequately aided by The Evergreen SO, led by Gernot Schmalfuss.
The recording is very good, but when the orchestra plays full blast, ther lower register suffer a little.
Quote from Manuel, born in Spain, currently working at Fawlty Towers.

" I am from Barcelona, I know nothing.............."

Irons

Quote from: vandermolen on November 26, 2018, 12:12:41 AM
My father was in Italy during a holiday in the 1960s in his flash Zephyr convertible car with white tyres. He had a very early record player in the car, which took singles, although you had to press out the middle of the disc. A group of curious people gathered round the car to see the on-board record player in operation. My father held up the vinyl single for all to see, before beginning his demonstration. He then put pressure on the centre of the disc to remove it, prior to playing it - snapped the whole disc completely in half and then drove off having concluded the demonstration. Someone I knew witnessed an early demonstration of an automatic record player in a shop in the Noth of England. It went horribly wrong and the automatic changer started throwing the discs at the shop window where they smashed.

I bet your father's audience thought "Those English - Typical!"
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Irons

#125342
Quote from: aligreto on November 26, 2018, 01:19:50 AM
JS Bach: Sonata for Solo Violin BWV 1001 [Shumsky]




ASV excelled themselves to get such an important artist as Shumsky to record such a defining body of works.
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

aligreto

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 [Backhaus/Boult]





The older sonic show sings of age on this LP but this, for me, does dot detract from a fine performance, particularly in the final movement.

steve ridgway

Another MP3 album from archive.org - I have a copy of the purely electronic Kontakte and wanted to hear the version with piano and percussion. It does sound a little less dry and empty but still satisfyingly alien :).

[asin]B000001SOS[/asin]

Traverso

Brahms

Violin concerto

I saw this earlier today posted by Madiel. ;)

Milstein in great shape, hand and glove in a congenial performance with Eugen Jochum.




Zeus

#125346
Lalande: Majesté
Ensemble Aedes, Le Poème Harmonique, Vincent Dumestre
Alpha

[asin]B07B6MHJL8[/asin]

Inspired by:
Quote from: Draško on November 26, 2018, 05:12:36 AM
...seems a trifle pale compared with spectacular Dumestre recording of some other Delalande grands motets from earlier this year.   

First listen – impressive stuff!


"There is no progress in art, any more than there is progress in making love. There are simply different ways of doing it." – Emmanuel Radnitzky (Man Ray)

André

Quote from: Traverso on November 26, 2018, 08:10:30 AM
Brahms

Violin concerto

I saw this earlier today posted by Madiel. ;)

Milstein in great shape, hand and glove in a congenial performance with Eugen Jochum.





I heard Milstein play the Brahms concerto some 40 years ago and still have vivid memories of that concert (save for the rest of the program, which I've forgotten entirely). His tone was surprisingly small, but silvery and easily carrying to the back of the hall, where I was seated. Also, he barely moved his upper body, like a statue playing the violin.

Traverso


Maestro267

Honegger: Symphony No. 3 ("Liturgique")
Bavarian RSO/Dutoit

Mandryka

#125350
Quote from: Daverz on November 25, 2018, 04:29:43 PM
From a review of Op. 20 by Burton Rothleder in Fanfare:

"The period-instrument sound on these discs is characterized by too many exaggerated swells and attenuations during passages of sustained notes, by frequent weak intonation, and occasionally by caterwauls. This is interspersed with some mighty uninspired and sometimes lifeless playing [...]"



What's weak intonation? Does he mean they play out of tune -- if so I wonder why they do that -- are they incompetent? Did the instruments go out of tune over the period of a single movement, and noone noticed till the reviewer heard the disc?

I wonder where the caterwauls are?

It's pretty shoddy editing to publish a thing like that and not support it with examples.

I just saw that Burton Rothleder died earlier this year, he was a scientist writing reviews in his retirement.




Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Traverso

Quote from: André on November 26, 2018, 09:28:20 AM
I heard Milstein play the Brahms concerto some 40 years ago and still have vivid memories of that concert (save for the rest of the program, which I've forgotten entirely). His tone was surprisingly small, but silvery and easily carrying to the back of the hall, where I was seated. Also, he barely moved his upper body, like a statue playing the violin.

That sounds as the experience from a well seasoned music lover.  ;)

André

Quote from: vandermolen on November 26, 2018, 12:21:05 AM
It's a great double album Andre. Since the WW1 Armistice commemorations I've also played 'Morning Heroes' several times - possibly Bliss's masterpiece. The Groves/Liverpool version is probably the best version with the best speaker. Having said that I've mislaid the other Groves BBC version which I look forward to hearing again if and when it turns up. I wonder if you know the Kibblethwaite version on Cala? It is my other favourite version although the speaker, Brian Blessed, goes a bit 'over-the-top' (no pun intended) on a couple of occasions, although he is generally very good. The other great WW1 inspired work issued by EMI at around the same time as the Bliss is Bridge's eloquent 'Oration' for cello and orchestra. His masterpiece, along with 'Enter Spring' I think. Do you know it?

Thread duty:

Prayer of Saint Gregory by Alan Hovhaness.

Hi Jeffrey! More listening to that set is on the menu for tonight - both the Bliss and the Britten. I was alerted to some audible differences yesterday and I need to double check. Specifically, Groves adds 4 minutes to the later performance, and I thought I preferred the tighter, more precise orchestral response of the RLPO. Also, I detected some saturation in the big choral outbursts of the BBC recording, especially the 4th movement, when the massed choruses hector lustily (pun intended). But these are preliminary findings. I need to confirm those. As for the Britten, I was struck at how powerful and concentrated this interpretation was, so listening to it will be for no other reason than to repeat a pleasant experience!

I know neither the Kibblethwaite recording nor the Bridge Oration (although I have 2 versions of Enter Spring !). I shall certainly explore the catalogue for that work !

Mandryka



Haydn O
p 20/1

Quote from: Daverz on November 25, 2018, 04:29:43 PM
This is interspersed with some mighty uninspired and sometimes lifeless playing [...]"



This is serious and sober, far from the normal caricature of Haydn. What a surprise. Well recorded.

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

mc ukrneal

Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Traverso

Quote from: mc ukrneal on November 26, 2018, 09:58:35 AM
What do you think of this set?

Brahms loved to work with choirs and I'm glad he did.

I like it,  it is sung with heart, feeling and competence.I have the box a just a few day and only listened to two CD"s.Nevertheless I do not think that you will be dissapointed should you purchase this box.
Listen to a few samples,the price is more than reasonable.

https://www.dodax.nl/nl-nl/muziek-cds-dvds-vinylplaten/koormuziek/johannes-brahms-brahms-choral-works-dp54N1MAJA1GA/

Something about the conductor

https://www.youtube.com/v/HRpHnxrAvAo

I wish you many happy hours with these heartfelt jewels of Brahms. :)

https://www.youtube.com/v/nYFhf9Dc888


ritter

First listen to this recent purchase:

[asin]B079BJTWTY[/asin]
I knew both of these Schmitt works from previous recordings (Mercier on Timpani for the Antoine et Cléopâtre suites, and Segerstam on Merco Polo for the Second Symphony), but enjoyed them much more in these new recordings. Particularly the symphony, which previously struck me as wayward, now appears—despite its rhapsodic nature and very peculiar thematic development—a very coherent piece, and almost a valedictory summation of its composer's very personal art—as well as a worthy successor to its predecessor, that fascinating Symphonie concertante pour orchestre et piano. I'm very favourably impressed, and will revisit these performances soon.

Traverso


Ghost of Baron Scarpia

Quote from: Traverso on November 26, 2018, 09:29:52 AM
Brahms

CD 2





I was thinking I would have this (since Brahms is probably my favorite composer overall) but then I realized I do have it. It is a selection from Brilliant's Brahms Complete Works Edition (which I have, and which may no longer be in print).

Madiel

Quote from: Mandryka on November 26, 2018, 09:33:59 AM
It's pretty shoddy editing to publish a thing like that and not support it with examples.

Disagree completely. Reviews that start reciting timing points or bar numbers become tedious and eventually unreadable to anyone who doesn't have the recording (ie the people to whom the review is relevant). I'd much rather reviewers give me their overall impression.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!