What are you listening to now?

[Mookalafalas]

Light, zesty Bach.  Stripping the large ensemble pieces down to one instrument per part, and then playing with grace, charm, and good cheer.

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[Que]

Morning listening (nice and sunny winter day at the Dutch North Sea coast this morning) with disc 5:

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Terrific!

Q

[Que]

Light, zesty Bach.  Stripping the large ensemble pieces down to one instrument per part, and then playing with grace, charm, and good cheer.

[asin]B005IQXUQW[/asin]

I love those performances. In their hands the music turns into truly intimate chamber music.

Off course I got suckered in getting separate issues - I have about half of the complete set. 
Coming late to the party definitely has its advantages!

Q

[The new erato]

Listening to disc 2 last night:

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Impressions are slightly mixed. Symphony 3 has a more personal feeling to it than symphonies 1 and 2 (which were more generalized late romantic gorgeous) and I need to relisten to sort out my impressons. Symphony 4 is a Sinfonia Concertante, more light and fleetfooted with some fine soloist parts, but again this is music that takes some more time to sort out.

[Mookalafalas]

Coming late the the party definitely has its advantages!

Q

  It does

[Wanderer]

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[Wakefield]

Just lately I've been increasingly drawn to Leonhardt's "abstract-eternal" style, and that Teldec recording is a real good example of it.

I'm not sure if Leonhardt would be happy with your description of his style. It seems an application of the old Romantic ideas about Bach.

Aymes remains the weak link, as inexpressive as ever, but in contrapuntal music like Fiori Musicali it's more bearable. Maara Galassi's harp playing is a joy, and the singing is good too. Good recordings of Fiori Musicale are thin on the ground.

The recordings of Jean-Marc Aymes aren't usually easy to get nor particularly cheap. Therefore, I would hate to see his efforts quickly discarded by potential listeners on the basis of your opinion, as it doesn't fit with my own experience as a listener and, more importantly, it's quite different to the opinion expressed by the few reviews published on this series. I started listening to Aymes through his collaboration with Maria Cristina Kiehr in two excellent disks on Harmonia Mundi, after which his Frescobaldi series was almost a natural continuation.

IMO, this series has a very high artistic level, and has been very well thought, including instruments, grouping of the different pieces, style of playing and information.

Now listening to:

[Bogey]

[prémont]

Just lately I've been increasingly drawn to Leonhardt's "abstract-eternal" style, and that Teldec recording is a real good example of it.

A most apt description (particularly nailing his austere Froberger-style), which I like very much, whatever Gordo thinks..

By the way, if you're listening to French style music then I recommend very enthusiastically the three Jane Chapman recordings of music from the Bauyn manuscript.

They are very expensive at the moment, but they may be downloaded from Presto at affordable cost. But if it is mp3 files, I shall not be a subscriber.

[prémont]

I'm not sure if Leonhardt would be happy with your description of his style. It seems an application of the old Romantic ideas about Bach.
The recordings of Jean-Marc Aymes aren't usually easy to get nor particularly cheap. Therefore, I would hate to see his efforts quickly discarded by potential listeners on the basis of your opinion, as it doesn't fit with my own experience as a listener ....

I own all his Frescobaldi CDs and a few more, and I tend to agree with Mandryka, finding him (Aymes) rather limited in expression as compared to Leonhardt, Vartolo, Knox, Alessandrini, Loreggian et.c. et.c. With time however I may revisit his recordings.

[Wakefield]

A most apt description (particularly nailing his austere Froberger-style), which I like very much, whatever Gordo thinks..

And you're entitled to, of course.

But as we are talking about a description made up of words, I'm curious to know how are you using the adjectives "abstract" and "eternal" here, as a general description of Leonhard's style.

At least, my Oxford Dictionary provides three different meanings for "abstract":

1 based on general ideas and not on any particular real person, thing or situation; for instance: abstract knowledge/ principles

2 existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical reality; f.i., We may talk of beautiful things but beauty itself is abstract.

3 (of art) not representing people or things in a realistic way, but expressing the artist's ideas about them.

Are you thinking of one of these meanings?

I guess "eternal" is more "easy": "without an end; existing or continuing forever." But I'm curious about how this applies to Leonhardt's style or to specific performances; when the entire HIP movement was a reaction, precisely, to this kind of view of the music of the past...

[Wakefield]

I own all his Frescobaldi CDs and a few more, and I tend to agree with Mandryka, finding him (Aymes) rather limited in expression as compared to Leonhardt, Vartolo, Knox, Alessandrini, Loreggian et.c. et.c. With time however I may revisit his recordings.

I think it's not necessary, if you have such a clear opinion about him. Personally, I prefer to concentrate my efforts on interpreters that I enjoy.

Actually, I also prefer Leonhardt and Vartolo; but I judge Aymes as clearly superior to Loreggian and quite at the level of Alessandrini. I haven't listened to Knox, at least in proper conditions. But this is just my opinion. 

[Corey]

[Que]

Q

[Mookalafalas]

Mozart concerto for me, too, but a much less hallowed version .

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  I'm just playing the 24th for the first time.  Wonderful sound.  It's late and I have to keep it down a bit too low, but I don't expect to have any regrets about getting it. 

[kishnevi]

Listening to disc 2 last night:

[asin]B00OYKL0PQ[/asin]

Impressions are slightly mixed. Symphony 3 has a more personal feeling to it than symphonies 1 and 2 (which were more generalized late romantic gorgeous) and I need to relisten to sort out my impressons. Symphony 4 is a Sinfonia Concertante, more light and fleetfooted with some fine soloist parts, but again this is music that takes some more time to sort out.

Interesting!  You, Harry, and me all seem to have the same reaction...need more listens to sort this music out, as you put it.  Suggests a rather complex composer...

[SonicMan46]

Yesterday, I was impressed w/ Laurence Dean on the baroque flute in the Hasse Flute Concertos - he did not make that many recordings but I did find two others in my collection:

Benda, Franz - Flute Concertos w/ Dean & the Hannoversche Hofkapelle and -

Heinichen, Johann - Dresden Wind Concertos w/ Dean & Fiori Musicali - both period performances - Dave

 

[Mandryka]

And you're entitled to, of course.

But as we are talking about a description made up of words, I'm curious to know how are you using the adjectives "abstract" and "eternal" here, as a general description of Leonhard's style.

At least, my Oxford Dictionary provides three different meanings for "abstract":

1 based on general ideas and not on any particular real person, thing or situation; for instance: abstract knowledge/ principles

2 existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical reality; f.i., We may talk of beautiful things but beauty itself is abstract.

3 (of art) not representing people or things in a realistic way, but expressing the artist's ideas about them.

Are you thinking of one of these meanings?

I guess "eternal" is more "easy": "without an end; existing or continuing forever." But I'm curious about how this applies to Leonhardt's style or to specific performances; when the entire HIP movement was a reaction, precisely, to this kind of view of the music of the past...

Do you agree that there's an interesting change in what Leonhardt was doing at the start and later on around  the 1990s - in that Teldec Froberger CD I like so much, and in the Philips Frescobaldi CD, and the Rameau and Couperin on Teldec? How would you charactarise that change? I think there is more spirituality in the playing - less concern with our emotions.

And then that final Forqueray recording is a completely different style again - though I haven't compared it to his Forqueray on Seon (I've just ordered it, I'm waiting for it's arrival.) Same for the final Louis Couperin and Frescobaldi.

[Mirror Image]

Interesting!  You, Harry, and me all seem to have the same reaction...need more listens to sort this music out, as you put it.  Suggests a rather complex composer...

I liked Symphony No. 2, but didn't feel an especially strong connection with the other symphonies. For me, it's of rather limited appeal, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet. I'm not sure if Gal is a 'complex' composer, but his music simply doesn't linger in my mind after I've heard it. The music doesn't seem to show much character. It's certainly not bad music, it's just not music I think I could listen to with any frequency due to it's limited emotional/intellectual appeal.

[Wakefield]

I have decided to start a new listening of Vivaldi's complete sacred music, recorded by Robert King and his vocal and instrumental ensembles.



Vivaldi: Sacred Music, Vol. 1
King's Consort Choir, The King's Consort
Robert King, conductor

Recording details: August 1994
St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, United Kingdom
Release date: April 1995

Few times in life, I have found music able to convey this degree of vital happiness, with such level of immediacy. And these superb performances are in perfect line with the quality of the music.