What are you listening to now?

[Karl Henning]

Good day to you, Karl.

Cheers!

[Sergeant Rock]

A couple of short works by Stravinsky: Epitaphium (1959) and Tango (1940)

https://www.youtube.com/v/uecxpgM44k4

https://www.youtube.com/v/jl80gn91grA


Sarge

[Harry]

I keep being amazed about this composer and how good his music actually is, and about the excellent performance it gets. A series not to be missed in my humble opinion.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2016/09/richter-franz-xaver-1709-1789.html?spref=tw

[Harry]

You may know more about the latest ideas about how to play these things than I do. I just listened to opfer and it seemed pretty good, melancholic, I don't see that it's dated.

Well I am heartily glad you think so. After all my opinion is just a personal one, for some I am right, for others not . Its a win-win situation.
The impression one gets from music is individual and subjective, and therefore always debatable.

[Madiel]

That's earlier than any Tubin symphony I've yet listened to; will be curious to learn your response.

Well, it's only a fairly surface listen of course but I've quite enjoyed it. Not at all "modern" for something written in the 1930s. Thoroughly tonal, following in the footsteps of late Romantic composers with lots of notes and grand swells of sound. But it doesn't feel bloated or aimless.

I fear any attempt to make more specific comparisons because I'm conscious of how many traditionalist 20th century symphonists are still just names to me. I've seen people throw Bax's name around in this context online, but as I don't know any of Bax's music I can't speak to any similarity myself!

[Brian]

Tried to listen to these three Kenneth Fuchs albums, but mostly ended up picking my way through carefully - seems I like him best when he's in his subtlest, calmest moods, like "Falling Canons" for solo piano and "Quiet in the Land" for viola, cello, and wind trio. The bigger glitzier orchestral stuff, like "United Artists" and "Canticle to the Sun", annoyed me and felt a lot like empty calories.

"Atlantic Riband" seems like a perfectly okay, enjoyably-crafted bit of Coplandish (even Vaughan Williams-ish) populism, so Kenneth Fuchs is not a total loss for me. And I'll try a couple of his string quartets before giving up.

[Karl Henning]

A couple of short works by Stravinsky: Epitaphium (1959) and Tango (1940)

https://www.youtube.com/v/uecxpgM44k4

https://www.youtube.com/v/jl80gn91grA

Sarge

Brilliant miniatures.

[Brian]

"Atlantic Riband" seems like a perfectly okay, enjoyably-crafted bit of Coplandish (even Vaughan Williams-ish) populism

Never mind, the last minute or so is pure sugar.

[Mandryka]

Well I am heartily glad you think so. After all my opinion is just a personal one, for some I am right, for others not . Its a win-win situation.
The impression one gets from music is individual and subjective, and therefore always debatable.

Sure, it's just the idea that it was somehow dated, belonging firmly to its time, which I thought was worth pursuing. 

[Karl Henning]

A couple of short works by Stravinsky: Epitaphium (1959) and Tango (1940)

https://www.youtube.com/v/uecxpgM44k4

https://www.youtube.com/v/jl80gn91grA


Sarge

Brilliant miniatures.

I ran into the score of the Epitaphium at the NEC library once.  I was, in fact, looking about for fl/cl/hp music.  But:

1.  It is illegal to photocopy the score;
2.  I could not really see spending £10 of my own hard-earned at Boosey & Hawkes for a 2-minute piece, when
3.  I can just write my own music.

[Brian]

More, and hopefully better, first listens.



(skipping the Elgar)

[North Star]

I ran into the score of the Epitaphium at the NEC library once.  I was, in fact, looking about for fl/cl/hp music.  But:

1.  It is illegal to photocopy the score;
2.  I could not really see spending £10 of my own hard-earned at Boosey & Hawkes for a 2-minute piece, when
3.  I can just write my own music.

I had no idea that £ is the New England currency.  0:)

[Harry]

Sure, it's just the idea that it was somehow dated, belonging firmly to its time, which I thought was worth pursuing.

Yes I understood that. I will try to explain, but again it is very personal.  Harald Vogel, and Joseph Kelemen are my prime examples and comparison if it comes to Leonhardt. Vogel was always very much aware of the knowledge that grew on him over the years and he adapted his style of playing to get as close to what is must have been. Extensive research into composers and playing techniques made him the organist he is today, and as such he is my reference. Leonhardt and Vogel, have many things in common, but their styles could not be more different. I was in the lucky circumstance of having met him (Vogel) at a concert somewhere in Germany, and I asked him a lot of questions, so many in fact, that he invited me to a cafe nearby and patiently answered all of them. And yes we also talked about Leonhardt. So after this I understood some things that were quite unclear to me. Vogel grew over the years, Leonhardt firmly embedded himself in his somewhat academic approach, and this I call outdated but not invalid.
Kelemen is in many way a combination of both organists, but adding also many new elements.
There are of course more organists I admired....

[Karl Henning]

I had no idea that £ is the New England currency.  0:)

The New £ 

But that's how one reads the prices on the B&H website.  It is many years since there was a music store in Boston where one might buy a B&H score (like the scores I snaffled of Le pas d'acier and the great d minor symphony).

[San Antone]

The Complete John Cage Edition Volume 12: The Number Pieces 1
Ami Flammer, Martine Joster, Dominique Alchourroun & Jean Michaut

[Florestan]

A fine choice, Sir!

Thanks. It''s the beginning of a marvelous journey, I am sure. Especially so as I have multiple versions for the piano works, the symphonies, the concertos and the chamber music.

In parallel, I intend to listen to Mozart''s sacred works. I have Harnoncourt, Neumann and the Philips Complete Mozart Edition.

[Mandryka]

Yes I understood that. I will try to explain, but again it is very personal.  Harald Vogel, and Joseph Kelemen are my prime examples and comparison if it comes to Leonhardt. Vogel was always very much aware of the knowledge that grew on him over the years and he adapted his style of playing to get as close to what is must have been. Extensive research into composers and playing techniques made him the organist he is today, and as such he is my reference. Leonhardt and Vogel, have many things in common, but their styles could not be more different. I was in the lucky circumstance of having met him (Vogel) at a concert somewhere in Germany, and I asked him a lot of questions, so many in fact, that he invited me to a cafe nearby and patiently answered all of them. And yes we also talked about Leonhardt. So after this I understood some things that were quite unclear to me. Vogel grew over the years, Leonhardt firmly embedded himself in his somewhat academic approach, and this I call outdated but not invalid.
Kelemen is in many way a combination of both organists, but adding also many new elements.
There are of course more organists I admired....

This isn't the place for the discussion maybe. And a lot depends on what you're implying by "academic approach" What I will say is that Leonhardt seemed to go through many phases, and what he was doing at the end was not totally like what he was doing at the middle and at the start. So there is a sort of development there. One of the places where this comes out clearly I think is in the various different Forqueray recordings. But also in Frescobaldi and Froberger. I don't know whether you'd call all these styles academic.

Just a question - have you heard Vogel's Georg Bohm CD?  I'm having a bit of trouble getting into it - I've put it aside to go back to later thinking the problem's just my mood. Maybe now's the time to go back to it.

[aligreto]

Monteverdi: Terzo Libro Dei Madrigali [La Venexiana]....

[aligreto]

[asin]B00004YYQV[/asin]

I bought that CD last year and I really liked it.

[Que]

.[asin]B008GAXUW6[/asin]

With disc 9 I have arrived halfway this box set, and it seems also at a turning point in Clementi's development as a composer.
The works included here mark the transition towards his more mature output.
Costantino Mastroprimiano plays a fortepiano by Kirkman 1798.

Q