What are you listening to now?

[Brian]

Why not try the Wagner Birthday Concert with Jonas Kaufmann?  It has a nice selection of pieces, none over 15 minutes.

Thanks! I did find a few nuggets on NML to sample first (e.g. Siegfried's Rhine Journey and Funeral March).

[Brian]

OK, Thielemann's Wagner is truly badass.

[Harry]

Why play Thielemann, if you can have Riccardo Castagnetti on organ and harpsichord. Karajan did it so much better as this conceited comedy of a conductor.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2015/05/recent-acquisition-rossi-michelangelo.html?spref=tw

[San Antone]

Thielemann conducting music that is not by German composers



Claude Debussy
Nocturnes (00:28:10)
RIAS Kammerchor, Hans-Christoph Rademann Chorus Master

Olivier Messiaen
Poèmes pour Mi (00:21:24)
Jane Archibald Soprano

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 in B minor »Pathétique«

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Sinfonia del Mare. An exhilarating work.

[Brian]

#4

Thielemann conducting music that is not by German composers



Claude Debussy
Nocturnes (00:28:10)
RIAS Kammerchor, Hans-Christoph Rademann Chorus Master

Olivier Messiaen
Poèmes pour Mi (00:21:24)
Jane Archibald Soprano

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 6 in B minor »Pathétique«

Conductor Kenneth Woods (Orchestra of the Swan) says that that Tchaikovsky performance is one of the most controversial/strange he's seen. So I hope you'll comment.

[North Star]

Sibelius
Pohjolan tytär, Op. 49
Finlandia, Op. 26
Sinfonia Lahti
Vänskä

[San Antone]

Conductor Kenneth Woods (Orchestra of the Swan) says that that Tchaikovsky performance is one of the most controversial/strange he's seen. So I hope you'll comment.

I won't get to it till later today.  But the Debussy was good, better than I expected.  Next up the Messiaen, which is the most interesting piece on this program for me.  Considering how often it is said his repertory is limited, it is nice to see him doing this work.

[San Antone]

Spotify has four volumes from DG called "100 Great Symphonies".  Presumably culling from their vast catalog, the four volumes are arranged chronologically of all the symphonies you'd expect in such a collection.   

I'm listening in random play mode.

[North Star]

Spotify has four volumes from DG called "100 Great Symphonies".  Presumably culling from their vast catalog, the four volumes are arranged chronologically of all the symphonies you'd expect in such a collection.   

I'm listening in random play mode.

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4792685

[Ken B]

Heute geh' ich mit meiner Zeitmaschine zum Mittelalter zurück: 

[asin]B003JBYB8O[/asin]

Machst du viel Spass dabei!

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 3. A masterpiece! Are you reading this, cilgwyn! A bloody masterpiece!!!

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Schoenberg Pelleas und Melisande, Thielemann conducting the Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin

+1 for that one. Thielemann hitting his stride. I wonder if Thielemann might consider recording more 20th c. music...

[Todd]

[listener]

CHABRIER:  Piano Music - Dix pieces pittoresques, Bourrée fantasque, Ronde champêtre and others, a few familiar in orchestrated versions as Beecham 'pops'
Angela Hewett, piano
LANGGAARD:  Symphonies with odd numbers: 5 "Steppelands", 7 "By Tordenskjold in Holmen's Church" (second version) and 9 "From the Town of Queen Dagmar"
Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orch.    Ilya Stupel, cond.

[Sergeant Rock]

Listening to Symphony No. 3 [Atterberg].

Me too.

Sarge

[San Antone]

Conductor Kenneth Woods (Orchestra of the Swan) says that that Tchaikovsky performance is one of the most controversial/strange he's seen. So I hope you'll comment.

Most controversial ever?  That's a bit of an exaggeration. 

First, I listened to the last 3 minutes of the third and the entire fourth movement of both Karajan/BPO and Ormandy/Philadelphia.  Then did the same for Thielemann. 

But, the odd thing is he pretty much stopped conducting during the last two minutes of the 3rd movement and just let the orchestra romp through the piece.  It took on a bland martial/march-like tone instead of Karajan's crazy whirling dervish dance (which I don't much care for) or Ormandy's thrilling crescendo (I like Ormandy best in this work).  Under Ormandy the Philadelphians sound like one giant instrument playing the hell out of this music, they are light on their feet but also the music hits you with some umph; under Thielemann, the BPO just sounds bored.

I am listening to the last movement right now.  But judging from what I've heard so far, this is the first thing that has underwhelmed me. 

[Brian]

Interesting, thanks. I wonder what Maestro Woods was referring to.

Trying this:

[Ken B]

Sallinen's excellent Third Symphony.

Should appeal to a lot of people here.

Now onto #5. Despite a lot of interesting passages this one never gelled for me.

Next were 2 and 4. Two is very strong. 4 maybe less so.

Now 1 and 7.  Sallinen Madness!

I just thought of another name for John seeking influences in Sallinen: Bernard Herrman.

[Ken B]

Spotify has four volumes from DG called "100 Great Symphonies".  Presumably culling from their vast catalog, the four volumes are arranged chronologically of all the symphonies you'd expect in such a collection.   

I'm listening in random play mode.

A very tasty box indeed. Despite including the  Cereal Symphony.