What are you listening to now?

[Brian]

BIRTHDAY PARTY

I think an overview, like:
10:30 - Kullervo (1892)*
11:30 - Symphony No. 1 (1899)
12:15 - Swanwhite (1908)*
12:45 - Night Ride and Sunrise (1909)
1:15 - Voces intimae (1909)
1:45 - Luonnotar (1913)
2:00 - Symphony No. 5 (1915-19)
2:45 - Andante festivo, quartet version (1922)*
3:00 - Symphony No. 6 (1923)
3:30 - Symphony No. 7 (1924)
encore - Andante festivo, orchestra version (1938)
*will be first-ever listens for me, and Voces intimae will be a first-listen-since-college

BIRTHDAY PARTY
(and the last of three Segerstam picks for today)



First-ever listen to the complete "Swanwhite".

Will follow this with "Night Ride and Sunrise" (Lahti/Vanska), Voces intimae (Tetzlaff Quartet/cAvi UNLESS someone has an all-time favorite to recommend that's on NML), and Luonnotar (trying Marsch's rec of Scottish/Gibson, even though my heart is with Soile Isokoski).

[not edward]

Sometimes I love Richter, sometimes not so much.

Here also. Though my reaction doesn't tend to be tepid either way (I find some of his late Schubert infuriating, some of it wondrous, and much of it both at once).

I've been spending quite a lot of time with Kurtag recently. I don't think everything he does comes off equally well, but he's got that difficult knack of achieving profundity through simplicity. A piece like Stele does very little with a very large orchestra (much of it just subtly varied repetitions of short cells) and it just works.

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[SonicMan46]

Agreed.

Guess that I feel the same and had to look up some more pics of Buniatishvili - quite pleasant on these ole eyes -    Dave

 

[North Star]

Sibelius
Rakastava (The Lover) Op. 14 for strings, timpani and triangle
Sinfonia Lahti
Vänskä

[Tsaraslondon]

Verdi

La forza del destino

Callas et al.
Serafin

These remasters are really impressive.

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And since it's finished I'm going on with Tosca (De Sabata), my favourite full opera studio recording with Callas:

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I've just finished uploading my reviews of all the operas and recitals in the Warner box set to my blog. No real duds amongst them, with even the late recitals showing flashes of genius to offset the evident vocal decline.

The Tosca recording is of course well known, and undisputedly one of the greatest recordings ever made, but it was the recording of La Forza del Destino which absolutely floored me. To my mind, Callas reveals her greatest genius in the music of Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Cherubini and of course Verdi.

[GuybrushThreepwood]

This is an excellent set to get a good portion of the best known Sibelius works, the biggest omission is probably the tone poem Nightride and Sunrise.

[asin]B000KC849W[/asin]

Thank you very much North Star! Added to the wish list.

[Sadko]

To my mind, Callas reveals her greatest genius in the music of Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Cherubini ...

I agree, but whole operas of these composers are too much for me, some raisins out of these cakes are enough for my taste :-)

[king ubu]

just picked from the mailbox:

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[Brian]

BIRTHDAY PARTY

I think an overview, like:
10:30 - Kullervo (1892)*
11:30 - Symphony No. 1 (1899)
12:15 - Swanwhite (1908)*
12:45 - Night Ride and Sunrise (1909)
1:15 - Voces intimae (1909)
1:45 - Luonnotar (1913)
2:00 - Symphony No. 5 (1915-19)
2:45 - Andante festivo, quartet version (1922)*
3:00 - Symphony No. 6 (1923)
3:30 - Symphony No. 7 (1924)
encore - Andante festivo, orchestra version (1938)
*will be first-ever listens for me, and Voces intimae will be a first-listen-since-college

BIRTHDAY PARTY

"Voces intimae"

First listen to this in probably 6-7 years.

[Lisztianwagner]

Jean Sibelius
Piano Sonata

https://www.youtube.com/v/YsDYvoyFJdE

[Maestro267]

I've chosen my favourite Sibelius symphonies to enjoy this evening. The Fifth in particular must be a priority, as it's exactly a century since its premiere today.

Symphony No. 1 in E minor
Lahti SO/Vänskä

Symphony No. 2 in D major
Philharmonia Orchestra/Ashkenazy

Symphony No. 5 in E flat major
Berlin SO/Sanderling

Symphony No. 7 in C major
London SO/C. Davis

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Day Two of my VW-athon.  Vaughan Williams was the 'victim' of one of my favorite bits of musical invective:  Arnold Bax pointing out to VW that he didn't even write his 'greatest hit,' Fantasia on Greensleeves .

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[North Star]

Sibelius
Symphony no. 3
Sinfonia Lahti
Vänskä

[Brian]

BIRTHDAY PARTY

I think an overview, like:
10:30 - Kullervo (1892)*
11:30 - Symphony No. 1 (1899)
12:15 - Swanwhite (1908)*
12:45 - Night Ride and Sunrise (1909)
1:15 - Voces intimae (1909)
1:45 - Luonnotar (1913)
2:00 - Symphony No. 5 (1915-19)
2:45 - Andante festivo, quartet version (1922)*
3:00 - Symphony No. 6 (1923)
3:30 - Symphony No. 7 (1924)
encore - Andante festivo, orchestra version (1938)
*will be first-ever listens for me, and Voces intimae will be a first-listen-since-college

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Inspired by Karlo, I squeezed in a listen to "Malinconia" (Isserlis/Mustonen). Of the chamber music I've heard today, I think I like "Malinconia" by far the best.

Almost no piece, by anybody, begins as enchantingly as "Luonnotar". And yeah, venturing outside my Isokoski zone here was worth the risk - Gibson's version with Phyllis Bryn-Julson is pretty freakin' awesome. Gibson is in general one of the most underrated Sibelius interpreters ever...

And now, the big one!



The desert island performance of the Fifth!!!

[North Star]

Inspired by Karlo, I squeezed in a listen to "Malinconia" (Isserlis/Mustonen). Of the chamber music I've heard today, I think I like "Malinconia" by far the best.

Almost no piece, by anybody, begins as enchantingly as "Luonnotar". And yeah, venturing outside my Isokoski zone here was worth the risk - Gibson's version with Phyllis Bryn-Julson is pretty freakin' awesome. Gibson is in general one of the most underrated Sibelius interpreters ever...

Malinconia certainly is a top shelf chamber work.

I see the Gibson / Bryn-Johnson Luonnotar is on Youtube, I need to revisit it.

[Karl Henning]

Malinconia certainly is a top shelf chamber work.

I see the Gibson / Bryn-Johnson Luonnotar is on Youtube, I need to revisit it.

Link us up, laddie!

[North Star]

Link us up, laddie!

Was just about to post it, as I just finished listening to it. 
The orchestra and conductor do their job splendidly, and so does PBJ (sorry...), apart from some pronunciation issues, like the occasional excessive rolling of r's.

https://www.youtube.com/v/9g_zyAGsW74

[Sergeant Rock]

I'll be a sheep; join the flock  Gibson/Phyllis Bryn-Julson Luonnotar ...and follow it with The Bard.




Sarge

[North Star]

And now, the big one!



The desert island performance of the Fifth!!!

This for me now as well.

[Karl Henning]

Was just about to post it, as I just finished listening to it. 
The orchestra and conductor do their job splendidly, and so does PBJ (sorry...), apart from some pronunciation issues, like the occasional excessive rolling of r's.

https://www.youtube.com/v/9g_zyAGsW74

Thanks!  This is actually the first music I've had a chance to sit and listen to . . . it's been that kind of day