What are you listening to now?

[aligreto]

Koppel: Symphony No. 6 [Atzmon]....





A first listen to this work for me. I enjoyed both the musical language and the sound world. I think that the scoring is interesting.

[ritter]

I have listened to the Currentzis, which is very interesting imo although I still cannot say if I like it or not. The problem of that album is that it is coupled with the most weird performance of Tchaikovsky's violin concerto I have ever heard (with Patricia Kopatchinskaja).
The Gergiev's Les Noces is very good actually.

Thanks for that, GioCar, e buona sera. I'm not really into Tchaikovsky, and that's what has (for the time being, at least) kept me away from that Currentzis CD. If I find it really cheap, I'll go for it. Also, I was really annoyed by young Theodor's recent Don Giovanni. Some wonderful orcehstral playing, but as an opera perfomance, I find it downright awful  . The singing has only two registers: languor and furor. His Nozze I found interesting, his Così simply bland, this DG really beyond the pale IMHO. So I'm staying away from Currentzis for a while 

[aligreto]

I have only put that one on my List very recently 

[Sergeant Rock]

Please report! 

Big Band plus: weighty; unsmiling (you can almost see Klemp's scowl); a Beethovian Adagio; a menuetto that couldn't be any slower; crisp timpani; prominent winds (nice); divided violins (very nice). An old school winner.

Sarge

[Mandryka]

Chopin preludes by Wojciech Switala.

In art you have the concept of over restoration. Is there the same idea in music? If so this piano may well be over restored.

[aligreto]

Vivaldi: Concerto for Piccolo RV 444...

[Karl Henning]

Big Band plus: weighty; unsmiling (you can almost see Klemp's scowl); a Beethovian Adagio; a menuetto that couldn't be any slower; crisp timpani; prominent winds (nice); divided violins (very nice). An old school winner.

Sarge

Thanks!

[niknala]

Now playing, CD 20:
Ludwig van Beethoven
– Quartet for Strings No.3 in D major Op.18/3
– Quartet for Strings No.4 in C minor Op.18/4
Paolo Borciani (violin), Elisa Pegreffi (violin), Piero Farulli (viola), Franco Rossi (cello) – Quartetto Italiano (Philips / Decca Music)

   

[Sergeant Rock]

Haydn Symphony No.16 B Flat Major, Fischer conducting the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra




Sarge

[Spineur]

Tonight program

André Grétry, Andromaque, his only tragic opera with Jean Racine text !

[asin]B003AYPMOC[/asin]

A rescue-production of the Palazzetto Bru-Zane under the direction of Hervé Niquet.   Karine Deshayes in the title role

http://www.bru-zane.com/?pubblicazioni=andromaque

This production is on Dailymotion

http://dai.ly/x29r1qb

[Karl Henning]

Joining the Haydn party:

Haydn: Symphony No. 102 in B-flat
New York Philharmonic, cond. Bernstein

Fabulous box!  I had that one before I wound up fetching in the Symphony Edition.  (And so, yes, I held onto the Masses and Die Schöpfung.)

[Karl Henning]

Haydn Symphony No.16 B Flat Major, Fischer conducting the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra



Sarge

Separately, I don't have the Szell/Haydn box-let, but I do not recall the 102^nd therein . . . .

[Karl Henning]

"Papa"
Symphony № 16 in B^b » (H.I/16)
AAM
Hogwood

[asin]B009LNI0T0[/asin]

[Todd]

Having heard Hinrichs and Roggeri, I wanted to try some other Soler.  ClassicsToday has a glowing review of Mateusz Borowiak's recording of fifteen sonatas, so I figured why not.  Why not, indeed.  While obviously a contract job - no one plays fifteen consecutive sonatas plucked out of a large body of work out of love - Mateusz really delivers.  He strikes me as a more assured technician than either Hinrichs or Roggeri (though neither is a slouch), and he uses his keyboard command to spectacular effect.  His rhythmic and dynamic control are masterful, and he can dazzle with displays of perfectly scaled and contained virtuosity, as in SR 48 and SR 53.  Ultimately, his playing lacks the magical elements from Hinrichs' more carefully curated selections, but that does not dimish my fondness for this disc.  I very much would like to hear Mateusz in person and hear what else he might record.  As it is now, I will have to live with this disc and some YouTube videos. 

Basically SOTA sound.

[mc ukrneal]

So, I have been sampling through the first 18 discs of the big Ciccolini box:
[asin]B002SV3KOM[/asin]
My observations so far:
- His Albeniz and Granados are excellent. I can't wait to spend more time with these
- Only sampled a little bit of Bach, but he keeps time very consistently, an approach I think works well
- His Chopin was less to my taste, sometimes just too languorous
- Liszt was often excellent, enjoyed the first disc of Les Anees, which I 'unexpectedly' listened through to the end
- Concertos are quite interesting - didn't listen through, but he had a remarkable beginning to Rach Concerto #2 (one of the most flowy)
- Russian composers were interesting, hope there is more, but not sure if this was it or not

So overall, really enjoying this!

[SonicMan46]

I have only put that one on my List very recently    RE:  Mozart - Wind Concertos w/ Harnoncourt

Hi Aligreto - I'm enjoying that PI performance, especially the Clarinet Concerto w/ Wolfgang Meyer on a basset clarinet made my Rudolf Tutz - pic below of some of his instruments.  The Amazonians (at least USA) like the CD (6 5* reviews); attached is a PDF file of 2 reviews - a mixed one from All Music (although the reviewer loved the clarinet performance) and a 5* one from Classical Music, which I would favor - the Clarinet Concerto is one of my favorite works by Wolfie, so happy w/ the recording.  Dave

[Karl Henning]

"Papa"
Symphony № 35 in B^b (H.I/35)
AAM
Hogwood

[Pat B]

It's amazing how the genius of Wagner manages to elevate Donizetti's pedestrian tunes to a higher musical level, something one could almsot describe as "music of the spheres". A true masterpiece, a breakthrough in the art of music, prefiguring the achievements of Tristan, Meistersinger and Parsifal! 

Just joking, of course: the young and destitute Wagner in Paris tried to earn a living adapting famous opera tunes for salon consumption. In this case, the unusual forces of two violins are employed (in this recording, the excerpts are interspersed with a reciter telling the story--in German). A mere curiosity, but actually a pleasant listen.

I giggled.

TD: just finished:
[asin]B000027O3Q[/asin]
Byzantine Chant (Keyrouz on HM).

My first foray into the Byzantine style.

[Pat B]

Yes I agree with you on the Upshaw/Zinman version. I would put it third of the three versions that I have.
Other than Symphony No. 3 I must confess that I have very little else of Gorecki. Perhaps I will commence further exploration with your offering above 

I have Zinman and Kord and prefer the latter.

Among other Górecki, I like the first two String Quartets (haven't heard the 3rd yet, but will soon).

[cilgwyn]

Another Gounod opera! I think I prefer this one to his Roméo et Juliette.