What are you listening to now?

[Brian]

First listen to this composer.



First thing I notice is somewhat glassy recorded sound; will try to focus on composer himself. A lot of his dynamic changes are so sudden that they sound like multiple takes have been edited together; not sure if that is true.

[aligreto]

Concert Overture No. 2 [Dausgaard]....





A short but ebullient and effervescent piece.

[North Star]

Maiden-listen Monday
Henze
Royal Winter Music: First Sonata on Shakespearean Characters (1975/6)
Andrea Dieci
[asin]B01CTMJOC6[/asin]

Boulez
Livre pour quatuor
Livre pour cordes

And over the weekend
Le marteau
Le visage nuptial
Dérive 1
Incises
sur Incises
[asin]B00BLDHPZS[/asin]

[André]

Barry: Things That Gain [played by Kevin Volans on piano]....





An interesting piece with two distinct and contrasting sections.

You remind me I have this, from Barry:



I pulled it from the shelves. It's been so long I can't recall a thing about it 

[aligreto]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120. Ravishing stuff. I haven't been too fair to Bobby and his symphonies, but I have to give it to conductors like Sawallisch and Szell, they make this music come alive for me much more than Gardiner, HvK, or Bernstein.

The entire Sawallisch cycle is indeed excellent IMHO 

[aligreto]

You remind me I have this, from Barry:



I pulled it from the shelves. It's been so long I can't recall a thing about it 

Perhaps that is a good thing and maybe you will wish that you had left it on your shelf once you have heard it again 

Seriously, I think that there is some fine music on that CD

[André]

I shall report. If I don't like it, out it goes   

[Karl Henning]

I shall report. If I don't like it, out it goes   

Quite right, mon cher 

[PerfectWagnerite]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120. Ravishing stuff. I haven't been too fair to Bobby and his symphonies, but I have to give it to conductors like Sawallisch and Szell, they make this music come alive for me much more than Gardiner, HvK, or Bernstein.

Have you seen this documentary of HvK rehearsing this piece?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shc-4AZVaNk&list=RDShc-4AZVaNk

Sounds like he knows what he is doing. But I can't find a CD of his earlier VSO recording of this piece. His later BPO remake is a total disaster, thick, soupy, gluey, plodding chords everywhere.

My favorites are Sawallisch, Szell, and Bernstein (Vienna not NY). Lenny takes a lot more liberty with tempo and dynamics than others but I like it just the same.

[Mirror Image]

Have you seen this documentary of HvK rehearsing this piece?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shc-4AZVaNk&list=RDShc-4AZVaNk

Sounds like he knows what he is doing. But I can't find a CD of his earlier VSO recording of this piece. His later BPO remake is a total disaster, thick, soupy, gluey, plodding chords everywhere.

My favorites are Sawallisch, Szell, and Bernstein (Vienna not NY). Lenny takes a lot more liberty with tempo and dynamics than others but I like it just the same.

I haven't seen that documentary, no. But, in all honesty, Bobby's symphonies aren't anywhere near my favorites from him. I prefer his more intimate, compact works to his orchestral ones.

[Drasko]

But I can't find a CD of his earlier VSO recording of this piece.

Was that ever released on CD. Beside the studio recording I'm familiar with two live 4ths from Karajan, early 70s with Dresden Staatskapelle from Salzburg and from the 80s with VPO, both very good.

https://www.amazon.com/Bartok-Concerto-Robert-Schumann-Symphony/dp/B0000012WS
https://www.amazon.com/Schumann-Symphony-No-Dvorak/dp/B00000E4P2

[Mirror Image]

Revisiting this late-20th Century masterpiece:

[aligreto]

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 [Mackerras]....





This is grand, sweeping performance giving the music ample room to breathe. The brass sounds wonderful.

[aligreto]

I shall report. If I don't like it, out it goes   

I will be interested to read how you get on with it 

[aligreto]

Have you seen this documentary of HvK rehearsing this piece?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shc-4AZVaNk&list=RDShc-4AZVaNk

Sounds like he knows what he is doing. But I can't find a CD of his earlier VSO recording of this piece. His later BPO remake is a total disaster, thick, soupy, gluey, plodding chords everywhere.

My favorites are Sawallisch, Szell, and Bernstein (Vienna not NY). Lenny takes a lot more liberty with tempo and dynamics than others but I like it just the same.

I will watch this one later on; thank you for posting it 

[Spineur]

Jules Massenet, Esclarmonde



Massenet composed it after a trip to Bayreuth where he attended a Parsifal performance.  It was Joan Sutherland favorite opera.  I still prefer Werther, but from a musical point of view it is quite excellent, better than Manon IMO.

The Esclarmonde portrayed in this opera is an imaginary character not related to Esclarmonde de Foix who embraced.the Cathare religion and was burned on the stake after the Montsegur castle was taken by Innocent III crusaders.  If Massenet had used this historical setting the opera would have been fantastic.

[Todd]

[Mahlerian]

Copland: Organ Symphony
E Power Biggs, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Bernstein
[asin]B0000027J9[/asin]

[aligreto]

Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 [Barbirolli]....





A very fine, memorable and engaging performance of this wonderful work. We have a very robust, assertive, tension filled first movement, a poignant slow movement, a very strong scherzo and a glowing, ebullient and energetic final movement.

[Mirror Image]

Copland: Organ Symphony
E Power Biggs, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Bernstein
[asin]B0000027J9[/asin]

Great! Love that work. Good to see you listening to a composer that isn't Mahler, Schoenberg, Mozart, or Beethoven.