What are you listening to now?

[ritter]

Listening to this rarity, which arrived today in the post:


This 1962 recording was only trasferred to CD a cuple of months ago, by the CLASSICA magazine in France.

[Ken B]

You've tried various performances, I'm guessing?

-- Anyway, it was years before I warmed to the Mahler symphonies, so it would not become me to begrudge you space and time 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

It shames me to say it, but it took me several years of trying to like Dumbarton Oaks. I knew I should like it. I plugged away until it clicked. It's now one of my top three Stravinkys, has been for decades.

[Brian]

You've tried various performances, I'm guessing?

-- Anyway, it was years before I warmed to the Mahler symphonies, so it would not become me to begrudge you space and time 

Managed to finish listening this time!

I love and always have loved the adagietto; this time the first movement was OK too, and the trio of III, but parts of II and V kinda bored me, honestly. So, still not a favorite.

But something good has come out of this, which is that I've spent the rest of the afternoon on Alessandro Scarlatti, Vivaldi, and now a composer new to me named Carissimi.

[Spineur]

Unwinding a hot (temperature) week
[asin]B00000E4W5[/asin]

[aligreto]

Larsson: The Winter's Tale....

[Mandryka]

A recording of Bob van Asperen playing  in Antwerp's instrument museum. Some of the music is very obscure and interesting. A fantasy by someone called Abraham van den Kerchoven caught my attention. If anyone knows any other keyboard music by him please let me know.

The whole CD  is Asperen at his best: full of freedom, full of life, wonderful tones, great textures.

[ritter]

After those very early Mozart concertos, now (spurred by the topic started by Spineur on French operas by non-French composers), this tragédie lyrique:


Magnifique! 

[Autumn Leaves]

Now playing:



Symphony #2

[Autumn Leaves]

Now playing:



Symphony #6, "Tragic"
Had'nt listened to this version in a long time - quite thrilling.



Symphony #6

I'll make this my last post - I will just be listening to more Mahler for the rest of the day.

[Kontrapunctus]

This set arrived today. I started with Chopin's Scherzos. I can see why he's so polarizing! Many would find his "take no prisoners" approach to be too impetuous. Parts of the left hand sections are definitely hammered out more than by any other pianist I've heard. Time will tell if he's too impetuous, but I like a lot of intensity, so I'll see how these do over time. All 3 discs derive from live concerts in Moscow, and they cheer him to the rafters! Very good sound.

[Todd]

Way too reverberant a recording - one must turn the wick up much more than preferred - Irina Georgieva plays Schumann's Kinderszenen and Kreisleriana and Ravel's Gaspard very well, but it is hard to hear her shading and dynamic control to best effect.  The Schumann is better than the Ravel, but I suspect both would be better in person than here.  Mr Buchbinder's praise for his former student seems well placed.  Perhaps she can lay down some Mozart or Beethoven.  I shan't object.

[Ken B]

Dvorak, 8 and 9
Kubelik, the famous DG recording.

[Mirror Image]

Definitely not me. I'm not a fan of Wand's Bruckner.  The one I recommended to you Karl was the 7th by Giulini/Vienna Phil.

Out of my own curiosity, what is it about Wand's Bruckner that you don't like, Ray?

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Trio élégiaque in D minor, Op. 9. Ravishingly beautiful and top-drawer performance, too.

[Ken B]

Out of my own curiosity, what is it about Wand's Bruckner that you don't like, Ray?

I don't like them either. Partly it's the sound -- I have the Sony NDR set. It's hard to pin down the problem as I never listen to them. If I start it comes off lickety-split. Karajan gets the grandeur but Wand only gets the grandiosity.

Maybe he's better in Turangalila 

[kishnevi]

Dvorak, 8 and 9
Kubelik, the famous DG recording.

Is there an infamous one?
[asin]B015P76E2U[/asin]
CD 5
Ludwig Sonatas 13/14(Moonshine)/15

[Ken B]

Is there an infamous one?
[asin]B015P76E2U[/asin]
CD 5
Ludwig Sonatas 13/14(Moonshine)/15

I think there are mono ones.

[Mirror Image]

I don't like them either. Partly it's the sound -- I have the Sony NDR set. It's hard to pin down the problem as I never listen to them. If I start it comes off lickety-split. Karajan gets the grandeur but Wand only gets the grandiosity.

Maybe he's better in Turangalila 

Perhaps you're right, Ken. I haven't revisited any of Wand's Bruckner in quite some time, but I've never had any problems with his performances. He gets remarkable clarity from the orchestras he conducts. It may be just my ears, but I don't think Wand strives for grandiosity in Bruckner. I think he strives to let the music speak for itself in a flowing, natural way without much grandstanding. In this sense, he's the perfect anecdote to Karajan whose interpretations we all know I love.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125. Extraordinary symphony and performance.

[Pat B]

I don't like them either. Partly it's the sound -- I have the Sony NDR set. It's hard to pin down the problem as I never listen to them. If I start it comes off lickety-split. Karajan gets the grandeur but Wand only gets the grandiosity.

You mean the WDR (Cologne) set, no?

TD: the Schubert Trios Gordo mentioned (Paulik-Istomin-Sofronitsky on Centaur).