What are you listening to now?

[Mookalafalas]

From a Marriner box.

[Karl Henning]

Continuing my "Universal is on Naxos now" party.

Say, and how did you find Paray with Sibelius?

[Karl Henning]

I did this once before, but felt like repeating it tonight:

3 x Prelude & Fugue in E-flat major ("St. Anne")

1) Masaaki Suzuki plays J.S. Bach's original on an organ built in 2000 by Marc Garnier:


2) Holger Groschopp plays the first version of Ferruccio Busoni's "free arrangement" for piano:
[asin]B0020MSTRM[/asin]

3) Pierre Boulez conducts the CSO in Arnold Schoenberg's orchestral version:


A wonderful 30 minutes of outstanding music... 

I love Schoenberg's arrangements of Bach! Two great musical minds meeting ....

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

From the Sony Box

Richter's recording of the Brahms' PC numero duo is awesome (though Rubinstein's probably more on top o' the score)!

[The new erato]

From the Sony Box

Richter's recording of the Brahms' PC numero duo is awesome (though Rubinstein's probably more on top o' the score)!

There's lots of awesome pianism in that box (I listened to 3 Beethoven sonatas the other night); but I feel that the pianism sometimes dominates the music if you see what I mean.

[Florestan]

Harold in Italy

I have just realized that the introductory theme of the viola bears a striking resemblance with the Hodie mecum eris in paradiso. from Cesar Franck´s Les Sept Dernieres Paroles du Christ sur La Croix --- or rather the other way around.

[Karl Henning]

Harold in Italy

I have just realized that the introductory theme of the viola bears a striking resemblance with the Hodie mecum eris in paradiso. from Cesar Franck´s Les Sept Dernieres Paroles du Christ sur La Croix --- or rather the other way around.

Cheers, Andrei!  Love that Op.16!

[Florestan]

Cheers, Andrei!  Love that Op.16!

G´day, Karl! Indeed, a masterpiece.

[North Star]

G'day Andrei and Karl!

I love Schoenberg's arrangements of Bach! Two great musical minds meeting ....

Cheers, Andrei!  Love that Op.16!

Hear, hear.


Thread duty - First-listen Friday
Frank Martin
Ballade for fl, pf & str orch
Ballade for alto sax, str orch, pf, timp & perc
Jacques Zoon (fl), John Harle (alto sax), Ronald Brautigam (pf)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Chailly
[asin]B010CGPRSQ[/asin]

[Harry]

A GMG recommendation and still happen about that.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2015/10/vieuxtemps-henri-complete-violin.html?spref=tw

[North Star]

Schubert
Drei Klavierstücke, D. 946
Pollini
[asin]B0000B09YZ[/asin]

[Brian]

Continuing to celebrate DG's arrival on NML;

[Harry]

After I started with this composer some time ago, I ordered almost all I could get, but still missing some things that have gone into back order. This bunch of 16 cd's are before me and I started with one that intrigued me for some time.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2015/10/vasks-peteris-cantus-ad-pacem-works-for.html?spref=tw

[Karl Henning]

Continuing to celebrate DG's arrival on NML;

Mmm, Giulini.

Did you see my query?  How was Paray/Sibelius?  TIA 

[Brian]

Mmm, Giulini.

Did you see my query?  How was Paray/Sibelius?  TIA 

Ooops! I did not see that! Paray/Sibelius 2 is very fast (under 40 minutes total), which suits perfectly my idea of how the first movement should go, although one might want a bit more breathing room in the slow movement. Aside from a tiny cut in the finale, I like the performance overall, though. Very high energy. If there is a flaw, it's that the combination of Paray's old-school style, and the very 50s orchestral sound, give you a good idea of what echt-modernists were complaining about when they said Sibelius was too nostalgic and Hollywoody. This doesn't bother me, but it is certainly a facet of the performance.

There is a lot of humming on the album, which I assume is either Paul Paray or an uncredited Glenn Gould.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

There's lots of awesome pianism in that box (I listened to 3 Beethoven sonatas the other night); but I feel that the pianism sometimes dominates the music if you see what I mean.

Yes, you've a strong point and you've set me to considering same : does Richter dominate the music or does he give it its fullest expression?  Of course, he doesn't go it alone, Leinsdorf is in on the action. Hmmmm...  I forgot to mention Ashkenazy's performance of Brahms 2 - disliked by many critics for its 'expansiveness' but I sure love it.  Reckon it all comes down to taste and that's why we're so fortunate in having many recordings to choose from and weigh in the balance.  Which leads me to wonder - despite the Doomsday Prophets - if perhaps we are not in fact living in the Golden Age of Classical Music.  I think that we are ; it's surely pleasant to think of something that one's very grateful for instead of the mind-numbing, senseless shootings, melting ice caps, "the millions that lose their jobs and homes and sometimes accents..." (Stereolab). 

[Karl Henning]

Ooops! I did not see that! Paray/Sibelius 2 is very fast (under 40 minutes total), which suits perfectly my idea of how the first movement should go, although one might want a bit more breathing room in the slow movement. Aside from a tiny cut in the finale, I like the performance overall, though. Very high energy. If there is a flaw, it's that the combination of Paray's old-school style, and the very 50s orchestral sound, give you a good idea of what echt-modernists were complaining about when they said Sibelius was too nostalgic and Hollywoody. This doesn't bother me, but it is certainly a facet of the performance.

There is a lot of humming on the album, which I assume is either Paul Paray or an uncredited Glenn Gould.

Gould was uncredited because of licensing issues.  He appears on the album jacket as "Birdlegs" Pfäffneuer.

[North Star]

Bartók
Viola Concerto, Sz. 120
Bashmet
Berliners
Boulez

[Pat B]

Ligeti: Violin Concerto (Gawriloff and Boulez on DG). Just finished this. I listened to the PC and CC yesterday. Second listen. So far none of these have clicked for me.

Up next: something by Stereolab. On vinyl if I can find it, otherwise youtube. Hat tip to ZauberdrachenNr.7.

[North Star]

Bartók
Piano Concerto No. 3, Sz. 119
Grimaud, Boulez & LSO
[asin]B0006OS5YS[/asin]