What are you listening to now?

[NikF]

Glière: The Red Poppy -  Anichanov/St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra.

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There's a delightful 1955 cinematic production of the ballet on YouTube featuring Mansingrova, if that's yer bag...

https://youtu.be/DkTm5OVKyKc

[Mirror Image]

Janacek: String Quartets - Wihan Quartet.



I was introduced to these quartets by an ex-girlfriend and even now find them as thrilling and wrought with passion as I did on those first listens.

Funny you mentioned these SQs as that's what I'm listening to now, but from this new acquisition:



So far, stunning performances and in first-rate sound. All of the nuances, raw beauty, and unhinged fervency of these masterful SQs are on full display in these recordings.

[Mirror Image]

First listen to Charles Ives's Fourth Symphony:

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Mesmerising, puzzling,  potentially endlessly fascinating. ... Will relisten attentively again soon...

Slams fist on table and knocks over three other gentlemen's beers! Also, to the bolded text: my sentiments exactly. Good to see you digging Charlie's music. He's always been a favorite of mine.

[Todd]

[PerfectWagnerite]

First listen to Charles Ives's Fourth Symphony:

[asin]B00004TTIK[/asin]
Mesmerising, puzzling,  potentially endlessly fascinating. ... Will relisten attentively again soon...

I like IVes, but a lot of his music sound very close in construction: a murky tonally ambiguous beginning in the strings, a central more lively episode in the winds combining some marches or populist tunes mixed together, rising to a crescendo. It is very well crafted but the formula is the same.

[Mirror Image]

I like IVes, but a lot of his music sound very close in construction: a murky tonally ambiguous beginning in the strings, a central more lively episode in the winds combining some marches or populist tunes mixed together, rising to a crescendo. It is very well crafted but the formula is the same.

To the bolded text, let's ask Bruckner how feels about that comment. I won't disagree with your general argument, but I will say that your comment feels rather more like it's describing your own shortcomings as a listener rather than Ives' shortcomings as a composer. Let's also remember that Ives never heard his music in a concert hall and he probably also thought his music was never going to be heard and, thankfully, this wasn't the case. So any kind of 'tidying up' as it were to his actual scores was definitely not in the picture. Anyway, I think the remarkable thing about Ives was his ability to create a highly individual soundscape, but, thankfully, it was a soundscape that actually did change and offer the listener something completely singular. One listen to his Concord Sonata or The Unanswered Question gives the listener an idea of the breadth of his style. A one-trick pony he was not and he's certainly one of the major 20th Century composers without a doubt in my mind.

[Mirror Image]

Sinfonietta from this new acquisition:



Neumann really seems to thrive in the lyrical aspects of the music, but I'm missing the rhythmic bite of Ancerl and Mackerras.

[Dee Sharp]

Beethoven: Violin Concerto Lisa Batiashvili/ Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, A favourite artist and excellent performance. Recommended.

[Zeus]

[size=0px]Batiashvili is my fave too![/size]

Off topic: why do I get all these [size] thingies?[/size]

It seems to happen whenever I cut and paste.

I get weird line spacing issues as well. Definitely not WYSIWYG. Sometimes it takes as long to edit out the problems as to write original post.  Grrrr.  The curse of the newbie.

[PerfectWagnerite]

To the bolded text, let's ask Bruckner how feels about that comment. I won't disagree with your general argument, but I will say that your comment feels rather more like it's describing your own shortcomings as a listener rather than Ives' shortcomings as a composer. Let's also remember that Ives never heard his music in a concert hall and he probably also thought his music was never going to be heard and, thankfully, this wasn't the case. So any kind of 'tidying up' as it were to his actual scores was definitely not in the picture. Anyway, I think the remarkable thing about Ives was his ability to create a highly individual soundscape, but, thankfully, it was a soundscape that actually did change and offer the listener something completely singular. One listen to his Concord Sonata or The Unanswered Question gives the listener an idea of the breadth of his style. A one-trick pony he was not and he's certainly one of the major 20th Century composers without a doubt in my mind.

Maybe.

What he did succeed is that he made his works pretty much "interpretation" proof as I have not heard a bad Ives recording (like you said there are few Ives performances, especially of his orchestral works). It really is hard to screw up the sound of "chaos" and then folk tunes blending together in different meters and keys. And the fact that a bunch of wrong notes can't be heard either doesn't hurt.

My favorite Ives' work is his 1st Symphony. To have written something like that at any age is remarkable. It is conventional yet sounds unique and not over-the-top like a lot of late Romantic works. Yet it remains wholly memorable and unequivocally demonstrated that should Ives decided to continue in this route he still would have been a remarkable composer. I don't think such a remarkable piece of American symphony exists.

[Zeus]

Cavalieri: Rappresentatione di anima et di corpo

[Mirror Image]

Maybe.

My favorite Ives' work is his 1st Symphony. To have written something like that at any age is remarkable. It is conventional yet sounds unique and not over-the-top like a lot of late Romantic works. Yet it remains wholly memorable. I don't think such a remarkable piece of American symphony exists.

To the bolded text, geez... . Okay, good day to you then. No need to carry this conversation any further.

Now playing:



The most incredible Taras Bulba on record IMHO and BBC Music Magazine thought so too as this was their pick amongst a survey they conducted in their latest issue.

[TheGSMoeller]

Going through some Yoel Levi/Atlanta SO recordings. Their collaborations on Telarc are mostly great, quality performances in spectacular sound. Starting with this Hindemith disc...

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[Mirror Image]

Going through some Yoel Levi/Atlanta SO recordings. Their collaborations on Telarc are mostly great, quality performances in spectacular sound. Starting with this Hindemith disc...

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That Yoel Levi Hindemith recording remains a favorite as it was my introduction to the composer and hearing it performed by our home band makes it even more special. Under Levi, the Atlanta SO never sounded any better IMHO.

[Ken B]

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 7 in F "Razumovsky" Op. 59 No. 1
Alban Berg Quartet
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That might be my favorite cycle.

TD Bach, cantatas, Gardiner disc 37

[Mirror Image]

What he did succeed is that he made his works pretty much "interpretation" proof as I have not heard a bad Ives recording (like you said there are few Ives performances, especially of his orchestral works). It really is hard to screw up the sound of "chaos" and then folk tunes blending together in different meters and keys. And the fact that a bunch of wrong notes can't be heard either doesn't hurt.

Actually, there are bad Ives recordings believe it or not. I've recently been rather underwhelmed by Andrew Davis' traversal on the Chandos label. The sound of the recordings are first-rate, but I've never heard such dull performances of this music in all of the recordings I own. He just doesn't get this music IMHO. The reviews he's garnered seem pretty favorable, but I like my Ives much more unhinged.

[TheGSMoeller]

That Yoel Levi Hindemith recording remains a favorite as it was my introduction to the composer and hearing it performed by our home band makes it even more special. Under Levi, the Atlanta SO never sounded any better IMHO.

I would not argue. Although I was not in Atlanta during Levi's tenure, his recordings offer enough evidence of this.

Their disc of Barber music featuring Knoxville and the Essays is also really good.

[Mirror Image]

I would not argue. Although I was not in Atlanta during Levi's tenure, his recordings offer enough evidence of this.

Their disc of Barber music featuring Knoxville and the Essays is also really good.

Indeed, Greg,

[Mirror Image]

Now here's an Ivesian who gets my deep respect:





Listening to Two Contemplations: Central Park in the Dark and The Unanswered Question. Exemplary performances from Lenny.

[Todd]

Skrowaczewski's Ninth.  Another outstanding performance.  Skrowaczewski keeps tempi swift and the music moves forward at all times.  He generates some notable intensity.  The wind playing is especially noteworthy, hyper-detailed and clean.  The string playing in the Scherzo is superb.  All that written, I probably prefer the slightly heftier reading by Gielen.  Indeed, of the three cycles devoured this year, I'd say but it's definitely Gielen overall at this point, save for Skrowaczewski's hat trick of the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh.  Time to see if Danny Boy's latest can compete with the other old guys.