What are you listening to now?

[Harry]

Second rerun.

[Mister Sharpe]

Of these, the 4th particularly impresses; tellingly, Rachmaninoff and Paderewski had it in their repertoires. 

[Dee Sharp]

Bach: Violin Concertos. Ibragimova/Cohen/Arcangelo.  Coffee and Bach; perfect.

[Drasko]

[Camphy]

[Spineur]

Pursuing my interest in historical recording, I picked up this Maria Yudina recording on Momox (used CDs)



It dates from the 1960-1962 period (remastered in 1995), after she has been fired from the conservatory for the nth times for playing un-soviet music and signing herself before each concerts.

She is so modern in her playing and does not sound like most russian pianists.  This is what Sviatoslav Richter said about her.

She was immensely talented and a keen advocate of the music of her own time: she played Stravinsky, whom she adored, Hindemith, Krenek and Bartók at a time when these composers were not only unknown in the Soviet Union but effectively banned. And when she played Romantic music, it was impressive – except that she didn't play what was written. Liszt's Weinen und Klagen was phenomenal, but Schubert's B-flat major Sonata, while arresting as an interpretation, was the exact opposite of what it should have been, and I remember a performance of the Second Chopin Nocturne that was so heroic that it no longer sounded like a piano but a trumpet. It was no longer Schubert or Chopin, but Yudina.

For a generation of russian artist, Yudina was worshiped and many did pilgrimage on her grave in Moscow.  Solomon Volkov  book on Shostakovich relates much of her life as she was a close friend of the composer.

[cilgwyn]

Of these, the 4th particularly impresses; tellingly, Rachmaninoff and Paderewski had it in their repertoires.

I'm going to have to stock up with some his Piano concertos! I did have this cd. I sold the Marco Polo of the Fifth Piano Concerto to a,sadly,now late relative;who seemed to like it. Not his 1st,3rd,5th or 6th symphonies. I tried hard enough!! I would like to hear The Demon one day;which some people do rate highly. It has been described as his masterpiece. The plot sounds quite good fun. Well,it is about a demon!!

   

[cilgwyn]

On now. Felix Draeseke's third symphony. I like the brooding atmosphere and scoring of this very Germanic symphony. I like the way he builds up the movements. The finale is very thrilling. I also like the Symphonic Prologue and Overture. They share similar qualities and are not mere fill-ups! Comparisons to Brahms are a bit pointless,imho. Draeseke is just different. This is a very good performance. The sound quality is excellent. I wish this 'team' had recorded the Second;but you can get it on good old Cpo. I like the painting on the front of this cd. A pity they obscured so much of it.

[Todd]

Revisiting the first Mahler 1 I heard after many years.  Mehta keeps things fairly brisk, and doesn't overdramaticize anything, and when a sprinkling of schmaltz is needed, Mehta offers generous portions.  Decca's spotlighting allows one to appreciate all manner of instrumental contributions with ease.  There are versions I definitely prefer all these years later (Hengelbrock, Walter, Kubelik, some others), but this makes a welcome return to my collection.

[André]

My favourite version of this, Haydn's most beautiful mass.

[ritter]

After Master Peter's Puppet Show this morning (as reported here ), more Falla tonight, with El corregidor y la molinera, conducted by Jesús López-Cobos:



It's quite fun to listen to this pantomime and compare it to its later incarnation as the ballet The Three-Cornered Hat. The scoring is thinner, making for a much lighter (and rather seductive) sound and a clearer counterpoint. The structure is basically the same, but some music did not travel from one version to the next, while other segments were expanded in the revision (most notably, the final jota). The introduction to the ballet (in which the orchestra members are famously asked to shout "¡olé!") is missing from this first version (including the vocal number "Casadita, casadita...", the text of which does appear in the vocal number of the second part).

In any case, in whatever garb (as El corregidor... or as El sombrero...), this is music that is very close to my heart, and IMHO a high point in Spanish and 20th century music.

[Kontrapunctus]

Superb in every aspect. Mine is a 24bit/192k hi-res file.

[kishnevi]

On now. Felix Draeseke's third symphony. I like the brooding atmosphere and scoring of this very Germanic symphony. I like the way he builds up the movements. The finale is very thrilling. I also like the Symphonic Prologue and Overture. They share similar qualities and are not mere fill-ups! Comparisons to Brahms are a bit pointless,imho. Draeseke is just different. This is a very good performance. The sound quality is excellent. I wish this 'team' had recorded the Second;but you can get it on good old Cpo. I like the painting on the front of this cd. A pity they obscured so much of it.

Here it is.


Ernst Ferdinand Oehme : Thunderstorm in the area of the village of Kaditz

TD

[Todd]

Hot out of the studio Bach - the last three suites were recorded in March.  Predictably good playing, in excellent sound.  Not the best, not the worst.  Love the near 83' playing time for the single disc.

[Sergeant Rock]

Kalinnikov Symphony No.1 G minor, Bakels conducting the Malaysian Phil




Sarge

[king ubu]

Stefan Askenase playing Chopin's Nocturnes - heard his Chopin sonatas from the DG Mono cube, and saw that this set of his complete 1950s DG Chopin recordings has come back in print (with a frew others from this "Original Masters" series of boxes, ordered the Smetana Quartet set, too, and also received the Anda set in the mail with the Askenase today).

Different from all of the many Chopin recordings I've amassed until now ... here's a review by Jed Distler:
http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-11371/

[kishnevi]

Performed on a modern organ, that of the Cathedral of S. Lorenzo, Perugia, of which Falcioni is the "titular organist".
[asin]B06VXMJBTY[/asin]

[anothername]

Abel conducting this masterpiece from Massenet, perfectly cast with the greatest cast ever.

[Wanderer]

Freddo cappuccino and Korngold's Piano Quintet.

[asin]B004H59ZOG[/asin]

[SimonNZ]

Robin de Raaff's Atlantis (In Memoriam Pierre Boulez) - Marisol Montalvo, soprano, Mark Stone, baritone, Markus Stenz, cond.

World Premiere: 23 September 2016, Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToSYL7WhHrY