What are you listening to now?

[Ken B]

Hummel
Chamber music, from the Naxos album with the cello sonata

Excellent album.

[vandermolen]

On a Miaskovsky binge at present. The first two string quartets share the same opus so guess written about the same time. Yet I found the 1st uneventful and the more concise 2nd superb.



The monumental 22nd Symphony is cast from musical granite. It is obvious from the performance that Svetlanov loves this music to his fingertips. Miaskovsky was a fastidious man which is evident in his music - there is a story that when sharing a picnic with Prokofiev, the latter teased him by scattering egg-shells on the ground. Miaskovsky could not abide this so dug small holes and buried the egg-shells! - It comes as something of a shock that Miaskovsky lets his hair down in the finale with a good old Russian knees-up. I didn't see that coming!

Another great nostalgia trip. This was my second Miaskovsky LP after the Cello Concerto with Rostropovich and Malcolm Sargent on EMI 'Concert Classics'. I bought it at HMV in Oxford Street probably in early 1970s or whenever the LP was released. I quite liked the Svetlanov fill-up as well.

[vandermolen]

What a pity! I actually,didn't know Measham recorded it. I can believe it's good,though! Judged by the evidence of some of his other recordings.

NB: I can't help wondering if vandermolen had that Lp?!!

vandermolen does indeed have that LP and the performance is actually better than the ones released on ABC and Chandos CDs. The fact that this magnificent recording has never been released on CD is a national scandal. How come Unicorn released David Measham's (equally fine) recording of Miaskovsky's Symphony 21, Kabalevsky's Symphony 2 and Shostakovich's 'Hamlet' on CD but not this one? I've tried to get Alto interested in releasing it but to no avail. It joins the list of great LPs never released on CD including:
Bax Symphony 3 LSO Downes (RCA)
Khachaturian Symphony 1 LSO Tjeknavorian (also RCA)
Gordon Jacob Concerto for Two Pianos (EMI)
Ivanovs Symphony 11 (Melodiya I think)

[aligreto]

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 [Abravanel]





This performance is filled with all of the requisite power required. The brass and timpani do very well here. It is a very impressive performance; better than some that I have heard.

[Kontrapunctus]

[Kontrapunctus]

[Roasted Swan]

nice hair Peter!

[Ken B]

Hummel
Three piano sonatas
Steven Hough

[aligreto]

Mahler: Kindertotenlieder [Baker/Barbirolli]

[aligreto]

That one is a recent purchase for me and a thus far enjoyable listen.

[Kontrapunctus]

That one is a recent purchase for me and a thus far enjoyable listen.

It's almost free on Qobuz! 

[aligreto]

Deirdre Gribbin: What the Whaleship saw





This is a work for string quartet. It is discursive by nature and I find it to be intense and somewhat poignant in tone with good tense elements.

[aligreto]

It's almost free on Qobuz! 

I am old school; I prefer the tangible hard copy.

Did you enjoy it?

[listener]

Ignatz WAGHALTER
Mandragola - Overture and Intermezzo
New World Suite         Masaryk's Peace March
New Russia State S.O.    Alexander Walker, cond.
Dag WIRÉN: Flute Concertino op. 44    Romantic Suite op. 22    Places, Please! (plats pa scenen)  op. 32
Dala Sinfonietta

[SymphonicAddict]

Ignatz WAGHALTER
Mandragola - Overture and Intermezzo
New World Suite         Masaryk's Peace March
New Russia State S.O.    Alexander Walker, cond.
Dag WIRÉN: Flute Concertino op. 44    Romantic Suite op. 22    Places, Please! (plats pa scenen)  op. 32
Dala Sinfonietta

Nice to see that Waghalter disc. I listened to it three months ago, I think, and it was a real find for me. The music is tuneful, cheerful, and significantly distinctive.

[SymphonicAddict]

Symphonies 3 & 4

Wow, these works have a visionary feel to it, with plenty of momentum and drive. The 2nd mov. from the 3rd Symphony was very special, noble and epic at the same time.

I liked them quite a lot. Mennin looks like a promising composer for me.

[prémont]

Hilger Kespohl plays organ works by Matthias Weckmann on the Arp Schnitger organ, St. Pancratius Kirche, Neuenfelde.(Label MDG)

The organ was restored 2015/17 by Kristian Wegscheider, Dresden, Contains 34 stops on two manuals and pedal. Tuning: Modified mean tone (1/5 komma), 3/4 tone above a'.The organ really sounds like a Schnitger organ, something like the organ in Norden.

Kespohl knows this organ very well and delivers a stylish, detached and no-nonsense interpretation throughout The recorded sound is colorful and realistic.

Much recommended.

[cilgwyn]

Harl Mc Donald's Symphony No 1 'The Santa Fe Trail' (1932). I'm beginning to think I quite like some of the music of Harl Mc Donald (1899-1955) whose compositions were,once premiered,by the likes of Ormandy,Stokowski and Koussevitzky,no less ! I got the First Symphony,off one of those vinyl blogs. I also know his Concerto for Two Pianos & Orchestra (1936) via a Sono Luminus cd;which also includes the Vaughan Williams Piano Concerto,and another,by Dana Suesse ("the Girl Gershwin",as she was dubbed);[/i];who could do with a cd,of her orchestral works,herself!! As far as I know,that is the only stereo recording of any of his music! I also found myself enjoying his Symphony No3 (1935) and found myself,quite,impressed. Although,it may have been the performance,more than the work itself?!! (I'll have another listen,shortly!) A big,ambitious setting of the Lamentation poems,by Fu Hsuan (A poet I know little about,I'm afraid!) for soprano,chorus and orchestra. Also,his,1943,Violin Concerto. Another ambitious opus! With Ormandy at the helm of the Philadelphia Orchestra,you can't go far wrong! In fact,it would be nice to think that an enterprising record label,might consider making a new recording of one of these works (and something else?). That said,I somehow doubt it would be as good as these!

[Kontrapunctus]

I am old school; I prefer the tangible hard copy.

Did you enjoy it?

So do I, but I'm running out of storage space. Yes, I liked it--great sound. A little oboe and bassoon goes a long way for me, so it's best in small doses.

[Kontrapunctus]