What are you listening to now?

[Karl Henning]

Good points.  Unnecessary complexity is still a matter of discussion, I should think.  I doubt, too, whether you and I would consider any examples of art from Debussy's day which he might have had in view extremely complicated.

[Harry]

New acquisition, and quite a good catch.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2014/09/new-acquisition-first-listen-haim-ben.html?spref=tw

[ritter]

The original French (from Monsieur Croche) says "l'extrème complication", not "l'extrème complexité", so I'd say the nuance is clear. One could argue that Debussy's music might be uncomplicated, but also rather complex on some levels (harmonically?)...

Listening now to this:

[asin]B000BO0GP4[/asin]

I got this only for Dawn Upshaw's Susanna (as she is a singer I admire immensely)...I must say, though, that I find the whole recording rather pedestrian 

[Mirror Image]

Now:



A new acquisition. Listening to Symphony No. 5. This is a gorgeous performance and I much prefer to Saraste's on BIS. The sound quality is superb and I love how Sony divided up the different movement within Symphony No. 5 like labels are supposed to do IMHO. This makes for easy access to certain points in the symphony that would like to hear again.

[Moonfish]

A baroque session..
Great stuff! These recordings were beyond my expectations. The Vivaldi in particular was very vivid and touching. I fell deeply for the recording!

Corelli

[asin] B00003GPKN[/asin]

Vivaldi/Marcello/Platti

[asin] B0000029VR[/asin]

Telemann

[asin] B000025GRO[/asin]

All from the lavish Seon box...

[asin] B00KXJD58M[/asin]

[André]

Now:



A new acquisition. Listening to Symphony No. 5. This is a gorgeous performance and I much prefer to Saraste's on BIS. The sound quality is superb and I love how Sony divided up the different movement within Symphony No. 5 like labels are supposed to do IMHO. This makes for easy access to certain points in the symphony that would like to hear again.

I recently listened to the Saraste version and enjoyed it immensely. I also have the Sony disc with Robertson but haven't given it a spin in - maybe - 3 years ? I love Silvestrov's music from al periods of his life.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

The designs (drawings? engravings?) you attached are ornate, but I'm not sure they qualify as "extremely complicated."

I agree but it's worth mentioning that traditionally, to the "western eye," such images were read as complicated : eg: "In his hands [the Moslem artist's] the arabesque assumed complicated convolutions which were invariably disposed symmetrically and often the plant form itself became schematic and divorced from reality."  Oxford Companion to Art  , 1970 ed.

[Henk]

Now:



A new acquisition. Listening to Symphony No. 5. This is a gorgeous performance and I much prefer to Saraste's on BIS. The sound quality is superb and I love how Sony divided up the different movement within Symphony No. 5 like labels are supposed to do IMHO. This makes for easy access to certain points in the symphony that would like to hear again.

Do you mean extra split-ups within a movement? Never seen that.

[ritter]

Maurice Ravel
Sheherazade

[asin]B008KGWWL6[/asin]

I've never heard the Crespin / Ansermet recording included in that set, but Shéhérazade is one of the most seductive and atmopsheric compositions I know...."Je voudrais m'en aller avec la goëlette / Qui se berce ce soir dans le port / Mystérieuse et solitaire / Et qui déploie enfin ses voiles violettes..." Beautiful!  Hope you're enjoying it, Ilaria!

Regards,

[André]

Puccini: Turandot. Versions under Erede (Borkh, del Monaco and Tebaldi) as well as Serafin (Callas, Fernandi and Schwarzkopf).

Following the lavish Decca production under Mehta it's difficult to muster much enthusiasm for these contemporary (1955-57) versions, complete with dull metal plates instead of bells, substandard choral sound and vague focus.

They do have strong redeeming virtues though. Stylish orchestral playing and beautiful singing from Erede, Tebaldi and Zaccaria (Erede); commanding presence and strong vocalism in the impossible role of Turandot by Callas as well as good vocal presence from Zaccaria and ethereal pianissimi by Schwarzkopf. Not to mention strongly profiled conducting by veteran maestro Tullio Serafin.

I wonder what possessed EMI to issue this 1957 production in mono when stereo had become widely available by then ?

[Mirror Image]

Do you mean extra split-ups within a movement? Never seen that.

No, I mean instead of one continuous piece of music at 45 minutes, each movement within the symphony is separated and given it's own track. The symphony plays seamlessly of course.

[Pat B]

Good points.  Unnecessary complexity is still a matter of discussion, I should think.  I doubt, too, whether you and I would consider any examples of art from Debussy's day which he might have had in view extremely complicated.

Right, "unnecessary" is a matter of judgement. What is complicated to one person might be beautiful to another (or to the same person in the future). I admit I was thinking of the line from Amadeus where Mozart explained that the number of notes was no more and no less than he needed.

Your latter point might be correct. I wonder what Debussy's idea of "extremely complicated" was. I'm not any sort of expert on him.

Thanks also to ritter for looking up the original French.

Thread duty: just finished the Immerseel-Chevallier disc of 2-piano works by Rachmaninov. Up next, Bach Orchestral Suites 2 and 4 by Akamus.

[Harry]

Some very pleasant music. New acquisition, recently bought.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2014/09/new-acquisition-first-listen-schumann.html?spref=tw

[Mirror Image]

I recently listened to the Saraste version and enjoyed it immensely. I also have the Sony disc with Robertson but haven't given it a spin in - maybe - 3 years ? I love Silvestrov's music from al periods of his life.

Yes, Saraste's version is very good, but there's something really special in this Robertson performance. I think the fact that he lingers on this phrase or that phrase a little longer gives me another insight into the music, but I still enjoy Saraste's performance unconditionally. Overall, Robertson is slower than Saraste, but we're lucky to have these two recordings as it is and there's a third one with Boreyko with the Ural Philharmonic, but like the Robertson, it's OOP.

[listener]

ELGAR: Cello Concerto
Anthony Pini, 'cello   London Philharmonic Orch.      Eduard Van Beinum, cond.
This Everest release is from a London (Decca) mono original
RABAUD: Divertissement sur des chansons russes op. 2, La Procession nocturne op. 6
Eglogue op. 7,  selections from the opera Marouf
Orchestre Philharmonique des Pays de Loire   Pierre Dervaux, cond.
A nice Japanese pressed LP, but notes are in Japanese only, fortunately the cover has the titles in English
and a couple of Canadian samplers of Murray ADASKIN and Norman SYMONDS (the excerpt from Nameless Hours has Duke Ellington on piano!)

[Papy Oli]

Good evening all 

finishing the Nielsen symphonies off the Bernstein Edition (No.2 & No.4).



No.2 was an absolute blast !!

[Mirror Image]

Good evening all 

finishing the Nielsen symphonies off the Bernstein Edition (No.2 & No.4).



No.2 was an absolute blast !!

Ah yes, The Four Temperaments. It's certainly an enjoyable symphony. I love the whole symphony but that slow movement is just so beautiful.

[Karl Henning]

Dallapiccola
Due pezzi

[asin]B000632POU[/asin]

[North Star]

Maurice Ravel
Sheherazade

[asin]B008KGWWL6[/asin]

+1

I've never heard the Crespin / Ansermet recording included in that set, but Shéhérazade is one of the most seductive and atmopsheric compositions I know...."Je voudrais m'en aller avec la goëlette / Qui se berce ce soir dans le port / Mystérieuse et solitaire / Et qui déploie enfin ses voiles violettes..." Beautiful!  Hope you're enjoying it, Ilaria!

Regards,

A beautiful work indeed, Rafael. Crespin & Ansermet handle it superbly. If you don't have too much of the contents of the box already, it's definitely worth getting.

[ritter]

Dallapiccola
Due pezzi

[asin]B000632POU[/asin]

Viva Dallapiccola! I find it so frustrating that his output is so limited 

You've prompted me to listen to this, Karl  :

Luigi Dallapiccola: Job, una sacra rappresentazione.



Job is "hidden away" in the second CD of this Il Prigioniero l from La Fenice in Venice. The performance is unbilled even in the accompanying booklet, but diverse sources state it's also from La Fenice, year 1964, under Hermann Scherchen.