What are you listening to now?

[Mirror Image]

Tabakova
Concerto for Cello and Strings
Kristina Blaumane, cello
Maxim Rysanov, conductor
Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra



The slow movement Longing brought a tear to my eye tonight. I can't say many pieces do this, but this one always manages to find a way to get to me.

[GioCar]

Being today the 25 March, I had to begin my day with Claude.



Two Cantatas - Le Gladiateur and L'Enfant prodigue - both 'new' to me, written when he was in his twenties. With the latter he won the Prix de Rome in 1884.
Two pleasant early works where you can hear a lot of Massenet. Still no traces of what he would have been a few years later.

[Mirror Image]

Being today the 25 March, I had to begin my day with Claude.



Two Cantatas - Le Gladiateur and L'Enfant prodigue - both 'new' to me, written when he was in his twenties. With the latter he won the Prix de Rome in 1884.
Two pleasant early works where you can hear a lot of Massenet. Still no traces of what he would have been a few years later.

Excellent. Yep, I plan to spend tomorrow with ol' Claude as well. Quite astonishing he's been dead for 100 years and his music still sounds as if it could have been written the other day.

[Daverz]

Listening to the disc on Tidal.

Earlier, Farrenc Symphony No. 2

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[asin]B00005QSTO[/asin]

The Breton orchestra is much less polished than the NDR and is occasionally underpowered sounding, but seems to play with enthusiasm.  But I'd still go with the CPO.  Naxos has a recording of Symphonies 2 and 3 from Luxembourg coming out next month.  Farrenc's symphonies are worth the attention.

[GioCar]

Excellent. Yep, I plan to spend tomorrow with ol' Claude as well. Quite astonishing he's been dead for 100 years and his music still sounds as if it could have been written the other day.

Seems to be a very good plan, John 

[Manwithaplan]

Wagner - Tannhauser

Cond. Solti

[SurprisedByBeauty]

#morninglistening to #Prokofiev's Second #Symphony w/@GuerzenichOrch on @capricciorec

: http://a-fwd.to/3O0i6Vw

in the complete #symphonies. One of the best sets, in fact (a.k.a. "opinion" 😉)

[Que]

Morning listening:

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Q

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Wagner - Tannhauser

Cond. Solti

Very nice!

[San Antone]

Pergolesi : Stabat Mater
Le Collegium Baroque, Rémy Fombon, Paul Laumont, Benoît Petit

This work is doing pretty well in the Sacred Choral Works game, and it is one I have never heard.  So, I am listening to it now.  Wonderful work!

If nothing else, the game has introduced me to a new sacred work I might not otherwise have ever heard.

[Que]

Morning listening - rerun:

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Q

[RebLem]

On Saturday, 24 MAR 2018, I listened to 4 CDs.


1)  Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-2006):  Volume 7 and last of the 7 CD SONY survey of Ligeti's oevre, this one devoted to chamber music.  |Tr. 1-4, Trio for Horn, violin, & Piano (1982) (22'43)  |Tr. 5-14, Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet (1968) (12'56)  |Tr. 15-20, Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet (1953) (11'39)  |Tr. 21-26, Sonata for solo viola (1991-94) (23'29)--Marie-Luise Neunecker, horn (Tr. 1-4), Saschko Gawriloff, violin (Tr. 1-4), Lierre-Laurent Aimard, piano (Tr. 1-4), London Winds (Philippa Davies, flute, Gareth Hulse, oboe, Michael Collins, clarinet, Robin O'Neill, bassoon, Richard Watkins, horn) (Tr. 5-20), Tabea Zimmermann, viola (Tr. 21-26).  Rec in Switzerland 9-10 MAY 1996 (Tr. 1-4), England, 10-11 MAR 1995 (Tr. 5-20), & Germany, 20-22 NOV 1994 (Tr. 21-26).

Now that we have come to the end of this SONY Ligeti series, it is important that we get an overall view of his work.  Such was provided in 2012 by an article in TheGuardian, which I suggest all who are interested read:  https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2012/aug/27/gyorgy-ligeti-contemporary-music-guide


2)  W.A. Mozart (1756-91): |Tr. 1-3, Piano Concerto 24 in C Minor, K. 491 (1785) (30'28)  |Tr. 4-6, Piano Concerto 27 in B Flat Major, K. 595 (1791) (29'14)--Annie Fischer, piano, Efrem Kurtz, cond., New Philharmonia Orch.--Rec MAY & JUN 1966 Abbey Rd Studio 1.  This is CD 3 of the 8 CD Warner Classics set titled "Annie Fischer: The Complete London Studio Recordings."

Annie Fischer.  Mozart.  What else needs saying?


3)  Rick Sowash (b. 1950):  |Tr. 1-6, Anecdotes & Reflections for clarinet, violin, cello, & piano (1989) (38'39)  |Tr. 7-16, Street Suite, for violin & clarinet (1976) (12'17)  |Tr. 17-19, Daweswood: The Bud, the Blossom, & the Berry, a Suite for clarinet, violin, cello, & piano (1980) (15'38)--Craig Olzenak, clarinet, Mirecourt Trio (Kenneth Goldsmith, violin, Terry King, cello, John Jensen, piano)--No recording dates or venues provided.  CD published 1991 by GASPARO Co.

Per the liner notes, Anecdotes is a concertino commissioned by Chamber Music in Yellow Springs, Inc.  (Yellow Springs is a town in Rick Sowash's native Ohio, north of Cincinnati and is the home of Antioch College, and hometown of Dave Chapelle and John Lithgow, among other notables) to commemorate the life of Louie Betcher, one of its founding members.  She had written an autobiography called "Anecdotes & Reflections," from which this work takes its title.  It was conceived as three sets of two movements each; each section has an "Anecdotes" movement and a "Reflections" movement.  Thus the Eastern European and Klezmer gestures of the first movement flower into the Gershwinesques tunefulness of the second; the syncopations of the third movement are given broader expression in the fourth and the disparate Pavan and Tin Pan Alley derivations of the fifth movement are apothesized in the March finale. 
The unifying motif in this eclectic work is a descending four note musical shape--A-G-E-E Flat stated initially by the clarinet.  This shape (also in its retrograde and inverted forms) pervades the piece, providing a constant touchstone to which the listener can return at virtually any moment throughout the nearly forty minutes of the work.
"Street Suite," says Sowash, " portrays ten streets in Mansfield, Ohio, the town where I was born and reared.  It was writen for a Mansfield couple, Larry & Clarissa Kramer, both fine musicians and long active in the Mansfield Symphony.  The tone of the piece is playful and affectionate....."
"Daeswood...."  was composed whem Sowash was artist-in-residence @ the Dawes Arboretum near Newark, Ohio, and describes three stages in the life of a plant.

All of these works are charming and delightful.  If I had to sum it up, I'd say he is to Ohio, and especially southwestern Ohio, what Don Gillis is to north Texas.  These are delightful works which are bound to stir most any American heart.


4)  D. Shostakovich (1906-75):  |Tr. 1-4, Symphony 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 (1937) (44'12)  |Leos Janacek (1854-1928): Four Lachnian Dances (1924) (12'53)--Klaus Tennstedt, cond., Munchner Philharmoniker--Rec. Bavarian Radio Studio 1, 20-21 MAR 1975 (Tr. 1-4), 22 MAR 1975 (Tr. 5-8).  A Weitblick CD.

This is not a new CD, and its not even new to my collection.  I have gotten  involved in some discussions about the V Petrenko recording of the Shostakovich Fifth, and I wanted to re-listen to this CD so I could refresh my memory and report on it again.

In my opinion, this is, with the possible exception of the Oleg Caetani recording, the best recorded performance of the Shostakovich Fifth I have ever heard.  And I have a dozen or more recordings of it.  It is more closely miked than most performances, and it has a verve and energy and insistent force that is quite uncommon.  The same is true of the Janacek, but, of course, the Shostakovich is the main work here.  I urge everyone to go out and buy it.

This CD is no longer available from ArchivMusic, Amazon, or HBDirect, the three major US internet sellers of CDs in current release.  It is, apparently, OOP.  However, I  found that it is still available from Berkshire Record Outlet for the measly sum of $7.99 + tax and shipping.  Of course, they  won't let you order less than $15, so you'll have to buy something else, too.  But this CD is well worth it.

[The new erato]

#morninglistening to #Prokofiev's Second #Symphony w/@GuerzenichOrch on @capricciorec

: http://a-fwd.to/3O0i6Vw

in the complete #symphonies. One of the best sets, in fact (a.k.a. "opinion" 😉)

I like that set a lot as well. Superb engineering.

Now this:

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Interesting music. Thanks to those that pointed me in its direction.

[Draško]

Very serene interpretation of Missa Pange Lingua contrasted with dramatic performances of few interspersed chosen motets: Qui velatus facie fuisti, Huc me sydereo and especially Stabat Mater. I really like the way that contrast works.

Singing is impeccable. One of De Labyrintho female sopranos has a very boyish timbre. I'm generally not that fond of boy trebles but when an adult singer's experience, intelligence and lungs are behind that sort of timbre it becomes very interesting color.

[Mandryka]

Very serene interpretation of Missa Pange Lingua contrasted with dramatic performances of few interspersed chosen motets: Qui velatus facie fuisti, Huc me sydereo and especially Stabat Mater. I really like the way that contrast works.

Singing is impeccable. One of De Labyrintho female sopranos has a very boyish timbre. I'm generally not that fond of boy trebles but when an adult singer's experience, intelligence and lungs are behind that sort of timbre it becomes very interesting color.

Is this a CD?

[Draško]

Is this a CD?

No, I'm streaming it, but I believe there was a physical CD, long out of print now:

https://www.amazon.it/Desprez-Circumdederunt-Me-Labyrintho/dp/B000VXLKPK

[Undersea]

Recent listening:




Shostakovich: Symphony #15 In A, Op. 141
Maxim Shostakovich: Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra

[San Antone]

Very serene interpretation of Missa Pange Lingua contrasted with dramatic performances of few interspersed chosen motets: Qui velatus facie fuisti, Huc me sydereo and especially Stabat Mater. I really like the way that contrast works.

Singing is impeccable. One of De Labyrintho female sopranos has a very boyish timbre. I'm generally not that fond of boy trebles but when an adult singer's experience, intelligence and lungs are behind that sort of timbre it becomes very interesting color.

Nice.  Thanks for posting.  Listening now.

[Madiel]

Mozart. Paris. In A minor.

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[SurprisedByBeauty]

#morninglistening to @surprisedbeauty composer #Martinů w/@MaximRysanov & @BBCSO on #BISrecords

: http://a-fwd.to/3Zqf6Qc

Terrific performances of the #RhapsodyConcerto (#ViolaConcerto), the #ViolaSonata & other #ChamberMusic for #viola & #violin

#morninglistening to #Prokofiev's Second #Symphony w/@GuerzenichOrch on @capricciorec

: http://a-fwd.to/3O0i6Vw

in the complete #symphonies. One of the best sets, in fact (a.k.a. "opinion" 😉)
I like that set a lot as well. Superb engineering.

I was listening to the Seventh. Perhaps my favorite Prokofiev Symphony and certainly a splendid recording of it!