What are you listening to now?

[Todd]

I am voluntarily staying at work a little late to wrap up Op. 81a

Make sure your boss sees you when you leave.


TD:




I don't listen to any of the three versions of Pelleas et Melisande on this disc frequently, but from time to time I enjoy them.  It's not really a collection of equals as Schoenberg's is far and away the best, and it is a work Mehta was born to conduct.  His tendency toward lushness and relaxed (a little or a lot) tempi and an ability to drive an orchestra to gorgeous tuttis to match anyone's are just what this work needs.  It's simply wonderful.  In my collection, this work has fared incredibly well, with Kocsis and Karajan and Sinopoli all delivering late romanticism with properly overwrought conducting.  Mehta joins them, and if he's not as over-the-top as Sinopoli (out over-the-topping Sinopoli strikes me as impossible), he's over-the-top enough. 

The smaller Sibelius and Faure takes are likewise beautiful and lush.  The Faure may be a bit heavy in places (Dutoit really shows how to balance this piece), but overall Mehta fares very well. 

Having listened to this disc, I wonder why Mehta never recorded any Korngold.  That could have been exceptional.  The quality of the Schoenberg means I may have to give his Gurrelieder a go.

[Harry]

Keep mending, and quickly, mijn vriend!

I will, thank you Karl

[amw]

Isn't it strange that  piano players don't use rhythm more expressively in Bach, when they do in (e.g.) Chopin?

I think the conventional wisdom is that it's inappropriate in Bach, which seems to be the opposite of true. I don't know where that conventional wisdom originates.

It's not that they make the music seem old fashioned, they make it seem neat and orderly. Every phrase in every voice is given a place in a way which makes the whole very tidy and smooth sounding. One pianist to explore is Rübsam.

That too. I think that's the "classicisation" though: that sense of perfect Apollonian balance with the emotion caused by affect rather than passion (affettuoso rather than appassionato).

It's nice. I did enjoy it more than my initial post may have let on. I don't think Hewitt is the greatest thing ever to happen to Bach as the British seem to, but I also don't think she's boring.

If she set her mind to it she'd turn in a reference quality set of the Shostakovich 24 Preludes & Fugues and that may be the "problem" I have with her—the style that works best for the latter is not necessarily what I want out of Bach.

I'm surprised to find Rübsam records for Naxos—you talk about him enough that I would have expected some super-obscure tiny arthouse label that went out of business 40 years ago :p I am currently listening to this, which sounds like a transposition of harpsichord style to the piano, and is quite enjoyable.
https://www.youtube.com/v/rOHFOovZw_s

Help...can't...stop...listening...



Nos. 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26

(this is so good I ordinarily wouldn't cry for help, but geez, I am voluntarily staying at work a little late to wrap up Op. 81a)

I'm kind of pissed he has only one volume on Qobuz. It's an excellent volume, but I want more ;_;

[musicrom]

Listening to the new Vanska/Minnesota recording of Mahler 5. Pretty good.

[Alek Hidell]

First Todd, then Brian, and now amw. Okay, I'm in.

[asin]B003TIAZUU[/asin]

EDIT: Incidentally, amw, there are several volumes of Kikuchi's available on Spotify (where I'm listening), if you do Spotify.

[HIPster]

Afternoon listening ~

[asin]B002SF2VGQ[/asin]

A third listen in as many days to this recent purchase.

Fantastic.

This recording has been championed here by both Mirror Image and Monkey Greg.  Thanks to both of them for the recommendation! 

[kishnevi]

Is this as good as I remember it being? So far, yes.

[Kontrapunctus]

Help...can't...stop...listening...



Nos. 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26

(this is so good I ordinarily wouldn't cry for help, but geez, I am voluntarily staying at work a little late to wrap up Op. 81a)

I ordered this set today! His late sonatas ("Ulitma") are superb, too.

[amw]

EDIT: Incidentally, amw, there are several volumes of Kikuchi's available on Spotify (where I'm listening), if you do Spotify.

I'm aware, but MP3 is always disappointing in itself :p

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

For some reason I just can't help feeling that Vivaldi is in fact my favourite Baroque composer. (Alien doesn't like Vivaldi so I do have some work to do to convert him, as I am gradually doing with Mozart)

[Spineur]

I'm kind of pissed he has only one volume on Qobuz. It's an excellent volume, but I want more ;_;

Yusuke Kikuchi recordings are hard to get in Europe.

[Wakefield]

I'm aware, but MP3 is always disappointing in itself :p

I don't know this boy, but Tidal (FLAC files) has four volumes of his Beethoven.

[Spineur]

[amw]

I don't know this boy

He is a good pianist who performs Beethoven in a high-drama, (mostly) high-speed style somewhat reminiscent of, if less personal than, Martha Argerich.

I'm not a Tidal subscriber but good find.

[HIPster]

For some reason I just can't help feeling that Vivaldi is in fact my favourite Baroque composer. (Alien doesn't like Vivaldi so I do have some work to do to convert him, as I am gradually doing with Mozart)

+1 

Do you have the Vespers release I posted a few pages back, jessop?  So good!

But yes, Vivaldi rocks. 

So does Handel (thread duty) ~

[asin]B001OBVAEE[/asin]

This Italianate Handel series is excellent.  I haven't collected all of them, but this edition is my favorite. 

[André]

I would be interested in your thoughts on that one please 

Hi Aligreto!

First impression: very positive. I recently listened to a clutch of early (pre-#22) Haydn symphonies and was surprised again at the inventiveness and genuine depth of these works - or at least some of the movements (esp. the slow ones). Routine and formulaic phrases simply do not exist in Hayd's music. Boccherini's op. 32 quartets have those same qualities, and (I think) occupy the same chronological position in his compositional output as Haydn's. I have 2 other discs (op 58) to listen to. That will come later. Stay tuned !

[Todd]

He is a good pianist who performs Beethoven in a high-drama, (mostly) high-speed style somewhat reminiscent of, if less personal than, Martha Argerich.

I'm not a Tidal subscriber but good find.

You may want to check your PM.

[Spineur]

Concerto in F minor

[asin]B00WXV22XM[/asin]

[Spineur]

Last morning listen: more 2 piano music

CD no 2: Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvorak, Strauss

[asin]B01M8HKJZC[/asin]

[Wakefield]

... Vivaldi rocks. 

So does Handel (thread duty) ~

[asin]B001OBVAEE[/asin]

This Italianate Handel series is excellent.  I haven't collected all of them, but this edition is my favorite. 

Challenge accepted!



http://amzn.to/2szZgop

Kirkby and Nelson are simply gorgeous!

https://youtu.be/nN6byS3JvpM