What are you listening to now?

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 3, "The Camp Meeting". This may be the best performance of this symphony I've heard. I mean MTT, Sinclair, and Litton are excellent of course, but there's a bit more bite in Lenny's approach, which I find most pleasing. But, of course, it's quite possible that I've gone right out of my mind.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus. As usual with Messiaen, getting to the sublime bits by way of the meandering minimalistic railroad is both fascinating and excruciating. Obviously the dichotomy is meant to provide perspective, contrast, and a bit of schizophrenia, to the overall experience. In the end, though, can't complain. The work is a Messia(e)nic success.



[asin]B000CBG3VW[/asin]

[Mahlerian]

Berio: Sinfonia, Eindrucke; Xenakis: Jalons
New Swingle Singers, Orchestre National de France, cond. Boulez; Ensemble Intercontemporain, cond. Boulez
[asin]B00QFVL1PG[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to On an Overgrown Path. This may be my favorite work from Janáček or at least it's in VERY close running to the SQs and the Violin Sonata.

[Que]

Morning listening:



Q

[Christo]

A bit like Vaughan-Williams or Lloyd-Jones.

Except that the hyphen would infuriate the Grand Old Man and is better left out. 

[NikF]

Brahms: Four Hand Piano Music, Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 - Matthies/Kohn.

[asin]B000EBEGY6[/asin]

[SimonNZ]

Messiaen's Cantéyodjayâ - Steffen Schleiermacher, piano



John Cage's Sonatas And Interludes - Giancarlo Cardini, prepared piano

[Florestan]

Hi Andrei - the above piqued my interest, but 9 discs of solo recorder music?  Plus, on Amazon USA, a 'new' box is not cheap as shown in my insertion above (maybe less expensive 'across the pond'?) - could get a used set for $32, a possibility for me - BUT, since you also own the 3-CD Brilliant box of 'some' of these works, would that be a good introduction - now, I'm also a 'recorder fan' and wife has at least 3 (she used to be in groups but I've not heard her on one in years - at the moment, she is taking ukelele lessons - she has 2 nice guitars but is enjoying just having to concentrate on 4-strings).  Thanks for any comments - Dave

Hi Dave, sorry for the late reply. 

The 3-CD Bosgraaf set is very good indeed, and quite possibly all you'll ever need in respect with van Eyck's music. I'd say go for it. If (both of) you'll like what you hear, you might later consider the Dan Laurin set as well.

[Florestan]

since 1981 it's mandatory for married women to go by their maiden name.

This is as idiotic as it gets. To go by their maiden name if they so wish, okay and understandable, but mandatory? It's absolutely no f%$&£g business of the government to dictate people by what name they should go. Boggles the mind, really.

TD



CD 5

Sonata in D Major D 812 "Grand Duo"
Grande Marche Funèbre in d minor D 859
Grande Marche Héroique in a minor D 885

Love this box set dearly.

[Harry]

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2017/03/jacob-gordon-1895-1984-symphony-no-1-2.html?spref=tw

[Christo]

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2017/03/jacob-gordon-1895-1984-symphony-no-1-2.html?spref=tw

Fully agree.  (And cannot understand why both symphonies were 'dismissed' so easily.)

Enjoying the 1962 Symphonie Concertante for the first time, a playful 'Concerto for orchestra' full of 'ancient style' features.

[Harry]

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2017/03/leigh-walter-1905-1942-orchestral-works.html?spref=tw

[Karl Henning]

Zappa's phenomenal, hilarious and deep conceptual collage piece "Lumpy Gravy" which has everything from Vareseian orchestral pieces, to surf rock, to spoken word conversations, to electronic music interpolations; all squeezed into a concise 30 minutes 

A very dynamite show.

[Harry]

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2017/03/carwithen-doreen-1922-2003-orchestral.html?spref=tw

[Camphy]

Via Qobuz:

[NikF]

Chausson: Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet - Wihan String Quartet/Shipps/Larsen.

[asin]B005CCJS7C[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Berg - Wozzeck
I'm trying, I really am:





I find the structure of the opera really intriguing but it doesn't musically capture me as much as Schoenberg's Moses or Bartok's Bluebeard for instance, why is it so impenetrable???   

The musical language isn't foreign, it's not hard to listen to, it just feels...........boring......


Any tips?

I can't really offer any tips on listening to Berg's Wozzeck other than I get the impression that you're trying too hard to like it. As a listener, there are some pieces that remain challenges for us and perhaps Berg is just a composer you don't enjoy or understand because you're just not allured by the sound of the music itself. Personally, I think you're listening to the wrong Wozzeck as Boulez's Columbia account is the best one I know, but this is just my personal bias kicking in at this juncture.

[HIPster]

Via Qobuz:

Hi Camphy - any thoughts on this recording?  Thanks.   

I am considering their integrale set, which includes this release.

Thread duty ~

[asin]B006T6HGOM[/asin]

A really fine disc!

Excellent sound and (to my ears anyway) perfect discrete instrumental accompaniment when necessary.  Very nice. 

[Todd]

Disc 1.