What are you listening to now?

[vandermolen]

I really like this as well.

[vandermolen]

Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony (1936 version)
[asin]B005AAVFHC[/asin]
I just discovered this version was BBC's 'Building a Library' top choice so I thought I should give it a spin. It is very good.
I still miss the bit just before the end that VW cut out in his final revision, as a consequence of which the Epilogue begins too abruptly (the opinion of VW's friend the musicologist Michael Kennedy). I agree with him.

[king ubu]

Rachmaninoff:
Prelude, Op 3. No. 2
10 Preludes, Op. 23
13 Preludes. Op. 32

Vladimir Ashkenazy

He was young once, really? Hard to believe! 
Somehow he seems to me like an eternally present elder statesman ...

@Wanderer: What did you think of Christie's "Serail"? I quite like that recording myself!

Thread duty - first spin:

[ritter]

 I haven't listened to Frank Martin's Le vin herbé in decades IIRC, and it is causing a rather favourable impression this time around:



This pioneering recording from 1961, with the composer at the piano, features a conductor (Victor Desarzens) and singers (with the exception of Eric Tappy and Heinz Rehfuss) unknown to me, but is very atmospheric and effective IMO.

[king ubu]

... a conductor (Victor Desarzens) ... unknown to me ...

You can read up some about Desarzens here:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Feb14/Desarzens_forgotten.htm

[ritter]

You can read up some about Desarzens here:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Feb14/Desarzens_forgotten.htm

Most interesting, many thanks! It turns out M. Desarzens had quite a distinguished career.

Regards,

[SonicMan46]

Wolfie's Clarinet Chamber Music - I own a LOT of Mozart's clarinet music w/ various interpretations - just pulled the two out below for our dinner music - Dave

 

[king ubu]

Most interesting, many thanks! It turns out M. Desarzens had quite a distinguished career.

Regards,

Yes indeed!

Claves has recently released a box celebrating the 75th anniversary of OCL, the first two discs contain music conducted by Desarzens - review:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2018/Apr/Lausanne_75_501711.htm

I've got it here but haven't started exploring it yet.

[Mahlerian]

Happy birthday!

https://www.youtube.com/v/X_bEhfzlEp4

[Todd]

[ritter]

Happy birthday!

https://www.youtube.com/v/X_bEhfzlEp4

Joining in the celebration:

[asin]B0006SNLJS[/asin]

Charles Wuorinen's Third Piano Concerto - Garrick Ohlsson (p), San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt (cond.)

What a fantastic piece! I was fortunate enough to shake the composer's hand after the world premiere of Brokeback Mountain here in Madrid in 2014, and thank him for what he's given us. Happy birthday, Mr. Wuorinen!

[Moonfish]

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Baker/Clark/Herincx/Sinclair
The St. Anthony Singers
English Chamber Orchestra
Anthony Lewis

[Malx]

Sibelius, Kullervo - Helsinki PO, Berglund.

[vandermolen]

Sibelius, Kullervo - Helsinki PO, Berglund.

There are very fine performances of Vaughan Williams's 4th and 6th symphonies in that set as well as Bliss's 'Miracle in the Gorbals'.

[André]

I haven't listened to Frank Martin's Le vin herbé in decades IIRC, and it is causing a rather favourable impression this time around:



This pioneering recording from 1961, with the composer at the piano, features a conductor (Victor Desarzens) and singers (with the exception of Eric Tappy and Heinz Rehfuss) unknown to me, but is very atmospheric and effective IMO.

A great work: spellbinding in the way it traps the audience/listeners in the Middle Ages. It was once quite popular, esp with germanic audiences. Fricsay and a few others produced it (in a german translation). It looks like there is a resurgence of sorts, with new productions sprouting in various places (Chicago, Zurich, Cardiff, Lyon). There are good reasons of a practical nature for that: small outlay in terms of cast, sets, instrumental players, and a very reasonable duration (less than half that of Tristan, with which it shares plot outlines). This version by Desarzens is the only one I know, and I find it just perfect. There is another recording with Sandrine Piau. I will try to locate a copy.

[Malx]

There are very fine performances of Vaughan Williams's 4th and 6th symphonies in that set as well as Bliss's 'Miracle in the Gorbals'.

I think its a pretty good box all round - the Shostakovich Symphonies were my main reason for buying it. To be fair most of these EMI Icon boxes are worthwhile a few less than inspirational performances in some of the boxes but at the price sobeit.

Thread duty:
Beethoven, Symphony No 7 - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham.

[André]

I really like this as well.

I was in the middle of the listening session when I posted. Now that the disc is over I can say I'm very impressed. It's a mighty, and mighty fine work.

I knew of von Hausegger only for his contribution to the history of Bruckner performances (he conducted the first ever performance of the original version of the 9th symphony in 1938 - it was previously known only through the Löwe bastardized version).

[André]

For once, Michael O'Hanlon, the David Hurwitz of Amazon reviewers, is right: this is a stunt, and a poor one. « Maestro » Cobra has concocted a computerized version of the 9th symphony that mixes together a synthesizer, an orchestra and an organ performance. The worse thing about this though is that the score has been put through a pasta machine that stretches it to double its length (105 minutes).



The man is also known to have subjected Beethoven's 9th to the same pasta machine treatment (110 minutes long). There should be a law against such perpetrations.

[Moonfish]

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5, 6 & 7
Wiener Philharmoniker
Maazel

[TheGSMoeller]

For once, Michael O'Hanlon, the David Hurwitz of Amazon reviewers, is right: this is a stunt, and a poor one. « Maestro » Cobra has concocted a computerized version of the 9th symphony that mixes together a synthesizer, an orchestra and an organ performance. The worse thing about this though is that the score has been put through a pasta machine that stretches it to double its length (105 minutes).

The man is also known to have subjected Beethoven's 9th to the same pasta machine treatment (110 minutes long). There should be a law against such perpetrations.

Holy Hell...his Eroica Symphony is 1 hour and 26 minutes long. Lock this man up! Just sampling a few minutes of this has me searching for the number to call 911!