What are you listening to now?

[San Antone]

Machaut: Mon chant vous envoy
Pierre Hamon, Marc Mauillon, Angelique Mauillon, VivaBiancaLuna Biffi



From album notes:

On Mon Chant Vous Envoy, the team formed in 2005 by Pierre Hamon around the exceptional baritone Marc Mauillon continues to explore the work of the great French musician-poet of the 14th century, Guillaume de Machaut. The album's collection of songs, virelais, ballads and roundels of Guillaume de Machaut exemplify the composer's understanding of the poetic art of courtly love, whose melodies are part of our memory and our psyche. Mauillon is an exceptional talent even in the current environment of medieval music and these melodies 700 years on still maintain an impact. Marc Mauillon is accompanied by his sister Angelique Mauillon on harp, violinist VivaBiancaLuna Biffi, and group leader Pierre Hamon on flute.

Good.

[Karl Henning]

Сергей Сергеевич [ Sergei Sergeyevich (Prokofiev) ]
Симфония № 1 ре мажор «Классическая», соч. 25 [ Symphony № 1 in D, Opus 25 "Classical" ]
São Paulo Symphony
Alsop

[aligreto]

Albinoni: Oboe Concerti Op. 7 Nos. 4-6....

[Karl Henning]

Сергей Сергеевич [ Sergei Sergeyevich (Prokofiev) ]
«Сны», соч. 6 [ Dreams, Opus 6 ] (1910)
São Paulo Symphony
Alsop

[Karl Henning]

Сергей Сергеевич [ Sergei Sergeyevich (Prokofiev) ]
Симфония № 2 ре минор, соч. 40 [ Symphony № 2 in d minor, Opus 40 ] (1924-25)
São Paulo Symphony
Alsop

[asin]B00MR4FQMY[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to the 4th. An interesting amalgamation of Arnold's more lyrical style mixed with James Bond-like spy film music extravaganzas.

[Mahlerian]

Сергей Сергеевич [ Sergei Sergeyevich (Prokofiev) ]
Симфония № 2 ре минор, соч. 40 [ Symphony № 2 in d minor, Opus 40 ] (1924-25)
São Paulo Symphony
Alsop

[asin]B00MR4FQMY[/asin]

That's always a fascinating work.  How's Alsop's recording?  I disliked her Takemitsu disc on Naxos, but her Barber seemed fine from what I checked of it.

[Karl Henning]

That's always a fascinating work.  How's Alsop's recording?  I disliked her Takemitsu disc on Naxos, but her Barber seemed fine from what I checked of it.

This is very good (and I agree on her Barber).

[Todd]

The second of the four Gavrilov/Richter discs of Handel.  Nice to revisit.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

I haven't listened to Sawallisch, but my current shortlist is Gardiner, Chailly (ed. Mahler!), Barenboim, in basically that order.

Sawallisch used to be the classic account, of course. But, even without having listened to it in a few years, I wouldn't be surprised if age hasn't caught up with it by now.

Have you tried Gaudenz/Odense?

TD:


#morninglistening to #Brahms w/NDR @Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under Hengelbrock on @sony_c... http://ift.tt/2ifElks

A little memorial from my trip to Hamburg. Brahms Symphonies 3 & 4, Urfassung.

Now:



Listening to Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121. A marvelous performance.

Listening to this yet again. Absolutely gorgeous.

You already love it, but perhaps this review will still read well for you: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2009/02/dip-your-ears-no-97.html

I meant to get a recording of this work for a while.  There are also an Harnoncourt and a Herreweghe recordings.  Are you familiar with them?  Admittedly, Christian Gerhardt is a big plus for this Daniel Harding version.  Advice anyone ?

Yes. There's absolutely no reason for the Harding recording to have been released (nor allowed) except that Harding wanted it released and Gerhaher really likes Harding and agreed. The Harnoncourt is far better and -- perhaps you are not aware -- also features Gerhaher! (and Guera!). You are right, Gerhaher is a BIG plus. Essential, indeed. But given he was involved in both, the choice between those two is an absolute no-brainer to me. I like Herreweghe... perhaps even better than Harnoncourt, but only despite not having Gerhaher. I like all those, except for Harding, better than Abbado... and Britten's version I don't care for all that much, either, but I also don't remember it very well at all and am only operating on memory of a memory.

[Brian]

Sawallisch used to be the classic account, of course. But, even without having listened to it in a few years, I wouldn't be surprised if age hasn't caught up with it by now.

Have you tried Gaudenz/Odense?

Yes, I've tried Gaudenz/Odense twice, last summer (when I came away impressed) and last week (when I did a marathon of your Top Ten and came away a little less impressed but still a fan).

How is the Elbphilharmonie acoustic? My father (a sound engineer) and I are very curious.

[SimonNZ]

Vanhal symphonies - Oldrich Vlcek, cond.

[kishnevi]

Sawallisch used to be the classic account, of course. But, even without having listened to it in a few years, I wouldn't be surprised if age hasn't caught up with it by now.

Have you tried Gaudenz/Odense?

TD:


#morninglistening to #Brahms w/NDR @Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under Hengelbrock on @sony_c... http://ift.tt/2ifElks

A little memorial from my trip to Hamburg. Brahms Symphonies 3 & 4, Urfassung.



Listening to this yet again. Absolutely gorgeous.


You already love it, but perhaps this review will still read well for you: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2009/02/dip-your-ears-no-97.html

Yes. There's absolutely no reason for the Harding recording to have been released (nor allowed) except that Harding wanted it released and Gerhaher really likes Harding and agreed. The Harnoncourt is far better and -- perhaps you are not aware -- also features Gerhaher! (and Guera!). You are right, Gerhaher is a BIG plus. Essential, indeed. But given he was involved in both, the choice between those two is an absolute no-brainer to me. I like Herreweghe... perhaps even better than Harnoncourt, but only despite not having Gerhaher. I like all those, except for Harding, better than Abbado... and Britten's version I don't care for all that much, either, but I also don't remember it very well at all and am only operating on memory of a memory.

1) Sawallisch's cycle was the first Schumann cycle I heard, and almost persuaded me Schumann was boring. It took Kubelik to teach me otherwise, although my current preference is Gardiner. Not heard any of the recent cycles.

2)You persuaded me to order the Harnoncourt Faust. I have the Abbado and Klee on EMI, which ought to be good (DFD, Mathis, Berry, Gedda) but has  very bad sonics.

TD
Rheinberger
Organ Works CD 5, featuring Organ Sonatas 9 and 10
Rudolf Innig organ (the MDG set)

[Mister Sharpe]

Never weary of these and, curious thing, a taste for them means you want to listen to their infectiousness again and again... Love the nods and homages to or borrowings from (however you choose to define them) Brahms & Dvořák.

[asin]B00000630B[/asin]

[mc ukrneal]

Sawallsich was chosen #1 in the blind listening for Symphony No. 4.

Incidentally, that blind listening thread is decimated. A shame Discoble deleted his posts before killing the account. Thankfully, someone copied the list before the final and the finale itself, so it is possible to reconstruct the order. Still, a waste...

[Madiel]

How's this disc, orfeo? I generally like The Nash Ensemble's performances (especially in Ravel, Debussy, RVW, and Elgar).

Yeah, I'm aware how much you like their Ravel and Debussy!

Well, I can tell you I loved op.73, and I think op.70 was good too, but I can't tell you about the rest yet. Really, I picked this on a combination of the Nash reputation, the Hyperion name, a couple of positive reviews somewhere but most of all the repertoire.

It's relatively uncommon to be be able to collect this bunch of pieces with each piece using Schumann's original choice of instrument. He did indicate for some of them that the solo instrument could be interchanged for another, and in most collections you'll find one soloist doing "Schumann's works for clarinet" or something like that. But I wanted to get op.70 with horn, op.73 with clarinet, op.94 with oboe, op.113 with viola. And the Nash Ensemble was capable of delivering that.

[NikF]

Milhaud: Concerto Pour Harpe - Nagano/Opera of Lyon//Cambreling.

[asin]B000005E8R[/asin]

[Madiel]

Thread duty:

Haydn, Symphony No.12

[asin]B009LNI0T0[/asin]
This is a good one. And honestly, I keep promising myself that I'm not going to post a mention of each and every symphony in in this box, but there are so many good ones. Here, the very opening is rhythmically ambiguous and immediately catches the ear.

And everything in these performances has a very appealing lightness and springiness. If this is what "period" Haydn sounds like, then I've no desire for a bigger, heavier sound for these earlyish works.

[San Antone]

Machaut : Messe le Nostre Dame
Vocal Ensemble Cappella | Tetsuro Hanai



This Japanese group performs a very good Messe.  Anyone who is familiar with the 2005 concert recording by Rebecca Stewart and Schola Machaut will hear a similarity in pacing and phrasing.

[aligreto]

Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta [Reiner]....





This is a wonderfully inventive and exciting work given an electric performance here that is full of exhilaration and tension.