What are you listening to now?

[aligreto]

Prokofiev: Sonata for Flute and Piano [Galway/Argerich]

[Iota]

Ravel, L'Heure Espagnole,
Orchestre National De La R.T.F, Maazel


What a seductive kaleidoscope of orchestral and vocal colour this is. Managed rather excellently by Maazel I think.

[Que]

They sound fine to me, what you'd expect from these groups.   For me the real value is the repertory itself.

Indeed an important consideration! 

[San Antone]

Prokofiev: Sonata for Flute and Piano [Galway/Argerich]

Lots of hair - 

TD



Vienna: Fin de Siècle
Barbara Hannigan, Reinbert de Leeuw

For this new recital album, the duo explores the roots of modern music with composers who went on to lead a musical revolution: Arnold Schoenberg, Hugo Wolf, Anton Webern, Alexander Zemlinsky, Alma Mahler and Alban Berg. Vienna: Fin de Siècle presents a vision of Vienna at the height of late Romanticism, when music was at its most lush and decadent, at the edge of tonality and full of voluptuous beauty. Featuring composers for whom text and song were inseparable, the album captures the rich and intense moment before the disruption of the harmonic language of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hannigan and de Leeuw have long championed the exquisite repertoire from this époque.

[André]

Some strong ideas, a reasonable amount of flair and good compositional workmanship are the main features here. I do not detect a powerful urge to communicate or an irrepressible surge of originality.

I recently listened to a symphony by Strauss (an early work) and it was not quite as good as this. I had the feeling the young Strauss insisted on talking just because he was a smooth talker, not because he had something important to say. By comparison, Huber's sincerity is refreshing and I was quite willing to lend an interested ear. Third tier stuff maybe, but the quality is high enough to sustain interest.

Some time ago JPC was selling the 5cd set for 9.99€ and I bought it. If I had acquired this disc for the same amount of money I might have stopped there, or maybe indulged in a second disc. Having all 8 symphonies and other stuff for that price was a steal.

[Todd]

A nice Triple Concerto, though the soloists are probably a bit too spotlit.  The symphony is too small scale. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Lots of hair - 

TD



Vienna: Fin de Siècle
Barbara Hannigan, Reinbert de Leeuw

For this new recital album, the duo explores the roots of modern music with composers who went on to lead a musical revolution: Arnold Schoenberg, Hugo Wolf, Anton Webern, Alexander Zemlinsky, Alma Mahler and Alban Berg. Vienna: Fin de Siècle presents a vision of Vienna at the height of late Romanticism, when music was at its most lush and decadent, at the edge of tonality and full of voluptuous beauty. Featuring composers for whom text and song were inseparable, the album captures the rich and intense moment before the disruption of the harmonic language of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hannigan and de Leeuw have long championed the exquisite repertoire from this époque.

The second one down, in particular, sounds like it would be right up my tree.

And re your comment for the first album:     Reminds me:  I have an appointment (overdue) for a hair cut next week [Yeah!].

PD

[aligreto]

Bartok: Divertimento for String Orchestra [Maksymiuk]


   

[aligreto]

Lots of hair - 

Yes, there sure is 

[Kontrapunctus]

Jappelli studied composition with Leo Brouwer, whose influence is quite audible in that the music is obviously contemporary but very tuneful, and it often relies on repeated melodic cells--not quite true minimalism, though. Impressionistic is probably more accurate. The frequent use of retuned strings (usually up or down a half-step) produces some very interesting sororities. Anyway, it's pleasant to listen to and Dieci is an outstanding player. Excellent sound.

[NikF]

Franck: Works for Piano - Paul Strauss/Liège Orchestra/Ciccolini 

[asin]B000025TY2[/asin]

[Todd]

Disc one.  The Toccata, Cinderella excerpts, and the first two sonatas.  If the next two discs are as good as this, this will surpass Sandor and Bronfman and become my go-to complete set.  Ovchinnikov's playing is clean, fast, accurate, and industrial strength.  He never bangs, but he never produces an especially lovely tone.  That's not to say he plays with an ugly tone.  No, his approach sounds just right.  Outstanding in every way.

[NikF]

Massenet: Ballet Suites - Marriner/Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

[asin]B06WVKGZXX[/asin]

[André]

Colourful, inventive, massive.

[Todd]

I finally started in on this set.  I listened to the first thirty tracks, all of it solo Bartok.  Many people believe Zoltan Kocsis sets the standard in this repertoire, and he does, but Ms Kraus is not too far behind.  Here's eminently satisfying playing.  The MP3 download sound is perfectly fine for a recording of this vintage.  I've already got more value than the measly $0.99 I plopped down for the whole set.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I finally started in on this set.  I listened to the first thirty tracks, all of it solo Bartok.  Many people believe Zoltan Kocsis sets the standard in this repertoire, and he does, but Ms Kraus is not too far behind.  Here's eminently satisfying playing.  The MP3 download sound is perfectly fine for a recording of this vintage.  I've already got more value than the measly $0.99 I plopped down for the whole set.

I'm not keen on MP3 downloads, but that said, I purchased a couple of fine ones a few years ago (older recordings) of Guild recordings (upon a heads up from an online friend)....some great Bach, etc.!  And they were for $.99 or a buck 99 at most (from memory).  Lots of wonderful recordings.

Best,

PD

[Todd]

I'm not keen on MP3 downloads, but that said, I purchased a couple of fine ones a few years ago (older recordings) of Guild recordings (upon a heads up from an online friend)....some great Bach, etc.!  And they were for $.99 or a buck 99 at most (from memory).  Lots of wonderful recordings.

Indeed.  While I will not buy MP3s for modern recording except in the rarest of cases (basically Sequeira Costa's LvB cycle), I'm fine spending what amounts to pocket change for hours of older recordings.  A few new reissued old VoxBox sets are now available for $0.99 - Kraft's Bach, the Barchet Quartett's Mozart cycle, and Ponti's Rach. 

[Daverz]

Le Sacre

[asin] B0032EZC2C[/asin]

Live in Berlin, 1952.  Very vivid recording.

[SymphonicAddict]

Colourful, inventive, massive.

That is a great disc!

[SymphonicAddict]

That's a really fine work, Cesar. I think his Cello Sonata (contained on the same Cyprès CD) is an even greater work - powerful and ultimately uplifting.

More encouragement! I hope to receive the CD very soon!