What are you listening to now?

[Mirror Image]

Debussy
Six épigraphes antiques
Alfons and Aloys Kontarsky

[Undersea]

NP:

[asin]B001GVA7DW[/asin]

Haydn: String Quartet #17 In F, Op. 17/2, H 3/26
Kodàly Quartet

[Mirror Image]

Villa-Lobos
Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 2, 5, 6, & 9
Victoria de los Ángeles
Villa-Lobos
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion française



Despite the mono sound in Brasileiras No. 5 for soprano and cello ensemble (the rest of the disc is in stereo), this is a special performance as are the rest of the performances on this recording.

[SymphonicAddict]

Symphony in F sharp



A real stunner. The last movement is not as good as the others, though.

[Mirror Image]

Symphony in F sharp



A real stunner. The last movement is not as good as the others, though.

The only work I like by Korngold is his Violin Concerto. It has a kind of 'Hollywood' feel to it, but the way he interspersed what I believe to be genuine emotion with this Hollywood-esque sound is quite a feat. I listened to his chamber music and several other orchestral works and didn't find them to be interesting. 

[SymphonicAddict]

The only work I like by Korngold is his Violin Concerto. It has a kind of 'Hollywood' feel to it, but the way he interspersed what I believe to be genuine emotion with this Hollywood-esque sound is quite a feat. I listened to his chamber music and several other orchestral works and didn't find them to be interesting.

The Symphony is, to my ears, a hit (not to mention that achingly beautiful slow movement). As a symphonic addict, I might react more favourably to a work like this one

I don't know his chamber output that much, but the Suite for 2 violins, cello and piano (left hand) is excellent on my view. And, of course, the Violin concerto is not less than riveting.

[Mirror Image]

The Symphony is, to my ears, a hit (not to mention that achingly beautiful slow movement). As a symphonic addict, I might react more favourably to a work like this one

I don't know his chamber output that much, but the Suite for 2 violins, cello and piano (left hand) is excellent on my view. And, of course, the Violin concerto is not less than riveting.

With your screen name, I'd expect no less from you!

Thread duty -

Ravel
Trois poèmes de Mallarmé
Jill Gomez
Boulez
Members of the Ensemble InterContemporain

[RebLem]

On Thursday, 19 APR 2018, I listened to 3 CDs.


1)  Rick Sowash (b. 1950):  |Tr. 1.  Sanctuary at 3 AM for B Flat clarinet and piano (2000) (6'27) 
|Tr. 2.  Lullabye for Kara for cello & piano (2002) (7'17)   |Tr. 3.  Variations on a Hiking Song for piano solo (1992) (13'52)  |Tr. 4-6.  Impressionist Suite 2 for oboe, A clarinet, & bassoon (2000) (12'51)  |Tr. 7.  The View from Carew: Romance for B Flat clarinet, cello, & piano (2000) (10'00)--Anthony Costa, clarinet (Tr. 1, 7), Phil Amalong, piano (Tr 1-3, 7), Jeff Schoyen, cello (Tr. 2, 7), Mark Ostoich, oboe (Tr. 4-6), Ron Aufmann, clarinet (Tr. 4-6), Mark Ortwein, bassoon (Tr. 4-6).  No information on recording dates or venues, but Sowash does thank WGUC-FM, the Cincinnati classical music radio station for help in the production of this CD.  CD was copyrighted 2004 by Rick Sowash Publishing Co.

Sowash writes,
The first piece has three meanings, says, Sowash.  First, it evokes the peculiar feelings we have entering a large, empty space intended for crowds of people, in this case the sanctuary of a church in the deep of the night.  It is empty but not quite silent--hear the little creaks and murmurs of an old building, the chimes ringing in the steeple above, and perhaps the ghostly echo of a remembered hymn.  But the piece is also about the idea of sanctuary--a safe place during the dark night of the soul.  Finally, it affirms the comfort we still feel in old-fashioned tonality and tunefulness.  Even at this late hour, after the agoncy that characterized so much of 20th century music, we can return to the sanctuary of G Major and g minor and take refuge in a slow, sad tune.
Lullabye for Kara was written for the infant child of a couple who were friends of Sowash's, the same couple, in fact, who had had him compose the Mt Airy Suite for their wedding ceremony, Mt Airy being a Cincinnati city park in which the wedding took place. 
The Hiking Song is "The Happy Wanderer" by Friedrich Moller, the inspiration for Schubert's Wandrer Fantasy.  Sowash was writing these variations while his father lay dying, and is dedicated to his memory.  The final variation is a tiny, faint, but heartfelt requiem.
The Impressionist Suites were written for a friend of Sowash's, French clarinetist Lucien Aubert and his reed ensemble, Le trio d'anches Ozi.  The original suite had 6 movements, each inspired by a different French impressionist painter.  But Sowash judged it too long, so he broke it up into two suites; this is the second.  Its 3 movements are 1) Cassatt: A Lullabye (3'32), 2) Caillebotte: Precision (4'13)  3) Sisley & Bazille: Joyful Skies, Lament for the Fallen (5'06).
The View from Carew refers to the Carew Tower, the tallest building in Cincinnati, where Sowash lives.  The piece is about a man contemplating the end of a deeply felt love affair.  It has two themes, a love theme, and a loss theme, which are developed and resolved in a single, classic sonata allegro movement.


2)  W.A. Mozart (1856-91):  |Tr. 1-4.  Symphony 29 in A Major, K. 201 (186a) (31'39)  |Tr.  5-8.  Symphony 28 in C Major, K. 200 (189k) (25'45)  |Tr. 9-12.  Symphony 33 in B Flat Major, K. 319 (22'41)--Trevor Pinnock, cond., The English Concert.  Rec. Henry Wood Hall, London, 3/1994 (K. 200-1), 9/94 (K. 319).  CD  8 of an 11 Arkiv Produktion CD set of Mozart's "complete" symphonies by these forces.

We're getting into some of the more familiar symphonies with these.  They feel like greeting old friends.  They leave one with a warm, cozy feeling of familiarity without the slightest bit of contempt, but admiration and wonder.


3)  Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943):  |Tr. 1-3.  Piano Concerto 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 (33'27)  |Tr. 4.  Rhapsody on a Theme of Pagainini, Op. 43 (23'05)--Gary Graffman, piano, Leonard Bernstein, cond., NYPO.  Rec. in the worst hall in the world, NYC, 26 MAY 1964 (Tr. 1-3), 2 MAY 1964 (Tr. 4).  CD 13 of a 24 CD SONY set titled "Gary Graffman: The Complete RCA & Columbia album collection." 

The LP verson of this issue was among the first 20-30 records I ever bought.  It is an old friend I haven't heard from in years.  These performances are great ones in the best sound available at the time, and that was pretty damn good.  Highly recommended.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

The only work I like by Korngold is his Violin Concerto. It has a kind of 'Hollywood' feel to it, but the way he interspersed what I believe to be genuine emotion with this Hollywood-esque sound is quite a feat. I listened to his chamber music and several other orchestral works and didn't find them to be interesting. 

The Symphony is, to my ears, a hit (not to mention that achingly beautiful slow movement). As a symphonic addict, I might react more favorably to a work like this one

I don't know his chamber output that much, but the Suite for 2 violins, cello and piano (left hand) is excellent in my view. And, of course, the Violin Concerto is not less than riveting.

Pity, Mirror Image. I tend to agree with SymphonicAddict. Here are my favorite works/recordings:
The Sounds of Korngold. But yes, the Violin Concerto is the lede!

[Que]

Morning listening:

[asin]B0149KE71Y[/asin]
Q

[Baron Scarpia]

First two movements yesterday, last two movements today.

[asin]B000006NXR[/asin]

Really the slow movement (played third by Karajan) is the highlight of this work for me. I can't imagine how Mahler would have felt after committing this work of utter genius to paper. Karajan's control of sonority really brings something special to it. It is still a mystery to me why at key moments I am hearing cow bells tinkling in this work. What do cows have to do with it?

Whenever I listen to the third movement I have the impression that there is something profoundly similar to the music of Sibelius, particularly the use of woodwinds. The opening of the finale, on the other hand, brings to mind the theme song of the television show "The Honeymooners," written by Jackie Gleason himself. I still struggle to make something coherent of the finale. I definitely recognize themes from earlier in the symphony being revisited, but I still don't know what to make of the overall structure, with the Jackie Gleason theme recurring, with or without the controversial hammer blows. In any case, a wonderful tour de force for orchestra, and the Berliners acquit themselves well.

I have a notion to listen to the 7th symphony next, and am at a loss which version to try. Haitink, Chailly, Bernstein (2 choices), MTT, Solti (heaven forbid), Boulez, Maazel. Lord, how did I end up with this many recordings?

[Baron Scarpia]

This just arrived, after some debate here on the merits of the Reger 4-hand piano transcription of the Brandenburgs.

[asin]B0000021GL[/asin]

So far only listened to the first movement of the first concerto. But wow, it is miraculous! Wonderful how it is at once familiar and entirely different.

[Que]

Continuation:

[asin]B00004S58E[/asin]
The pieces on the 2nd disc are played on a five-octave unfretted clavichord by Keith Hill after Friderici c. 1750.

Q

[Traverso]

Schweigt stille,plaudert nicht !





Preise dein Glücke ,gesegnetes Sachsen BWV 215.I realyy enjoyed that cantata,wonderful.

[Que]

Schweigt stille,plaudert nicht !

Ei! wie schmeckt der Coffee süße..... 

[Traverso]

Ei! wie schmeckt der Coffee süße..... 

great fun

[Harry]

Second rerun, CD 1 & 2.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2018/04/melartin-erkki-1875-1937-solo-piano.html?spref=tw

[SurprisedByBeauty]

#morninglistening to @DeccaGold's opening shot w/@NYPhil & #JaapVanZweden in #Beethoven #Symphonies 5 & 7 (@deccaclassics)

: http://a-fwd.to/5e2xKEI

Zweden's third recording of these works, this most classic of couplings. Perhaps surprisingly
conventional a choice for launching a "NEW" record label. Especially after Alan Gilbert's programming.

[Traverso]

Falla

[Mirror Image]

Ravel
Le tombeau de Couperin
Queffélec