What are you listening to now?

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Jeux:



For me, Haitink is one of the great Debussy conductors of our time. His understanding of the musical line and how to keep all these lovely harmonic shadings in place is nothing short of remarkable.

[aligreto]

Stanford: Piano Quintet [RTE Vanbrugh Quartet/Lane]....





This is a first listen to this work for me. What a wonderful, buoyant and vibrant work this is that is filled with such optimism. It is very well played here.

[aligreto]

Are you working through the DHM Freiburger set, aligreto?

I am indeed! Well done for spotting that one HIPster 





I have been a long time admirer of that ensemble but I have not listened to that set in a while 

[aligreto]

I love this set of Corelli's Op.6. Such vibrant playing and stunning sound.

I would also like to add my own accolades for this set; a very fine one indeed.

[kyjo]

Suk's Piano Quartet:

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A remarkably assured Op. 1! The Josef Suk Piano Quartet play the music of their namesake with obvious enthusiasm and red-blooded passion. I shall certainly be checking out their performance of the Dvorak Piano Quartet no. 2 on this disc - their playing is really something special.

[aligreto]

A work that a number of years ago I wouldn't have given the time of day to but now I am growing to like more with each listen.

Isn't it wonderful the way in which our tastes and appreciation can change over time if we are open to it 

[kyjo]

Isn't it wonderful the way in which our tastes and appreciation can change over time if we are open to it 

+1!

[Mirror Image]

Jeux:



For me, Haitink is one of the great Debussy conductors of our time. His understanding of the musical line and how to keep all these lovely harmonic shadings in place is nothing short of remarkable.

Jeux again. For years, I would have said Ravel is my favorite of two most well-known early 20th Century French composers (the other being Debussy of course), but for the past three (or four) years Ravel's impact on my life has been significantly less while Debussy has continued to astound me with his approach to freeing music from any kind of shackles that have kept it grounded. I find his harmonic and melodic ideas much more 'my thing' than Ravel's. Don't get me wrong, Ravel wrote some magnificent music and I do still cherish many of his works, but the subtle allure of Debussy's music has truly found staying power with me. I'm sure my friend Rafael (Ritter) can agree with my sentiments.

[kyjo]

Szymanowski's Symphony no. 3 Song of the Night:

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An intoxicating score with some earth-shattering climaxes (particularly the one in the 3rd movement, which involves a huge organ chord). I'm not really sure how I feel about this work being called a symphony (it's more of a tone poem to my ears), but that's a matter of slight importance.

[Gurn Blanston]

Berg & Webern Cello Pieces. The Weberns are tiny...

[Malx]

Have you heard her 2nd Violin Concerto? I prefer it, although I do like the 1st very much.

I have sampled the disc you refer to on Qobuz, I have the benefit of a free two month subscription which I am using to investigate things I would otherwise dismiss, the quality is first class Flac Lossless better than many similar services I have sampled. The downside is I am ordering more discs than ever including the Gubaidulina/Mutter one.
If I was sensible I merely agree to the £19.99 per month service - but I still like to touch and open the boxes and read the booklets when I want, I am not always on my computer when listening to music.

[Malx]

Isn't it wonderful the way in which our tastes and appreciation can change over time if we are open to it 

There would be something amiss if tastes didn't change, discovery is still one of the wonders of classical music for me.
But I also enjoy revisiting things I have "moved on from" its often the case that I still love the works/recordings - so much to listen to so little time!

[Malx]

A recent addition, that sat on a wish list waiting for a reasonable price - that price arrived just before Christmas, so I can now enjoy.

A very good performance imo.

Mahler, Symphony No4 - Philharmonia Orchestra, Paul Kletzki.

[Mirror Image]

Szymanowski's Symphony no. 3 Song of the Night:

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An intoxicating score with some earth-shattering climaxes (particularly the one in the 3rd movement, which involves a huge organ chord). I'm not really sure how I feel about this work being called a symphony (it's more of a tone poem to my ears), but that's a matter of slight importance.

And Shostakovich's Symphony No. 14 is a song cycle?

[James]

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[king ubu]

More from this set by Tal & Groethuysen:

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Q

Great set! One failure though: only includes one of their three Mozart albums ... which I was unaware of of course, but stumbling over the three-disc edition (a cardboard case around the individual sets, of course all with real booklets) I had to snatch up that one. Also just got their "1915" disc ... not sure how it happened but somehow I really fell in love with piano duets (4 hands or 2 pianos ... some seem to prefer to play 4 hands music on two separate pianos, too).

Thread duty:

Earlier today:



And this totally wowed me. Haven't yet heard Gerhaher's earlier take on the Müllerin, but this here must be the darkest, most brooding and doubting, reflecting version. How he immerses all of that deeply into the music and then lets it out during the performance, without ever overloading it - that's what I would think DFD is doing, he's always pointing at stuff with the eleventh finger, to use an inept pianist metaphor, Gerhaher may occasionally do that, too, but usually I feel he really manages to remain purely musical and convey the message from within, rather than putting it on top of the music in a more or less artificial or learned manner. Either way, disc of the year I guess (one of five or so).


Later, started playing this one but had to interrupt because I happened to have a ticket for the opera ("La fanciulla del west" - amazing stuff of course!), now continuing:



I have little experience with contemporary music and no clue what currents and movements etc. there are, so I cannot make any really meaningful statement about the pieces here - but I'm enjoying the ride, very much. Do not please ask me, thus, how I ended up buying it ... very simple: aeon (or was it outhere) sale at presto's, curiosity kicking in ... I also have the two Dusapin string quartet sets on the piles, haven't listened to the double with Nos. 1-5, but the new one with Nos. 6-7 - the former is for sq + orchestra - I found less engaging than these cello and clarinet works. So yes, this set combines ten works, six for cello solo, two for clarinet solo (including the longest of the bunch, "Ipso" from 1994), and two for clarinet and cello. The shortest piece is just a bit more than two minutes, there are some in the 5-8 minutes region and some longer ones, 10-15, some of the longer ones come in several parts, most of them are just one part each though.

[James]

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[SimonNZ]

[Madiel]

Haydn, Symphony No.55 in E flat

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First listen. The highlight was a very energetic 1st movement, which for some reason seems a little Mozartean to me.

[André]

Orfeo ed Euridice is Gluck's most famous opera, but I think it is neither as strong or as imaginative as Iphigénie en Tauride. This 1952 recording, in ok sound is a bit dated in the orchestral department, with thickish textures here and there. In the dramatic scenes though, Giulini whips up the excitement to great effect.

Soloists are quite extraordinary, arguably the best quartet on disc - and Iphigénie is not exactly neglected, with a dozen versions on offer right now. Neway's Iphigénie is sung in the grand manner, with a beautifully projected dramatic soprano voice and impeccable diction. Her Ô malheureuse Iphigénie rivals Callas' harrowing portrayal of the distraught priestess. Simoneau as Pylade and Mollet as Oreste are luxury casting indeed. Great singing and formidable dramatic involvement combine to make their duets as riveting as any tenor/baritone duet by Verdi.

While I wouldn't recommend it as one's only version of the work, it is an indispensable complement.