What are you listening to now?

[Maestro267]

Parry: Symphony No. 4 in E minor
London PO/Bamert

[Camphy]

Today:



Symphonies 11, 12 & 13

[Zeus]

After there's been much discussion about this disc, I couldn't resist.



An outstanding collection of chamber players, familiar from their collaborations on BIS (Mozart, Brahms) and Naxos (the best Arensky CD ever recorded).

To which Naxos Arensky disc are you referring?  I couldn't figure it out.

Thanks.

[Spineur]

Streaming the original version of  Arvo Pärt, Tabula Rasa

[asin]B003TT733G[/asin]

the winner of a blind comparison on France Musique this WE

[Mahlerian]

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 7 in F "Razumovsky" Op. 59 No. 1
Alban Berg Quartet
[asin]B008DK3PJC[/asin]

[TheGSMoeller]

Two 5ths of Sibelius, please.   

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[asin]B000CQNVSU[/asin]

[ritter]

First listen to Charles Ives's Fourth Symphony:

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

[North Star]

First listen to Charles Ives's Fourth Symphony:

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

Good evening, Rafael! A great work indeed.

Thread duty
Janáček
String Quartet no. 2 'Intimate Letters'
Smetana Quartet

[ritter]

Good evening,  Karlo!

[aligreto]

Berlioz: Les Troyens, Acts 2 & 3 [Davis]....

[Kontrapunctus]

Extraordinary playing--very well recorded.

[Spineur]

Looks interesting Toccata&Fugue

TD: disc 2



Lots of musical inventivness.  I will pursue my Caldara exploration

[NikF]

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

[asin]B00000149C[/asin]

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:

[asin]B00004TTIK[/asin]
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.