What are you listening to now?

[Maestro267]

Elgar: The Music Makers
Irwin (mezzo-soprano), Hallé Choir
Hallé Orchestra/Elder

[SonicMan46]

Faure, Gabriel - Piano Quintets w/ Cristina Ortiz et al and Piano/Cello Works w/ Peter Bruns & Rogit Ishay - for those interested, reviews attached.  Dave

 

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Hi Harry - a question for you or others who may know - I've been on the French Ligia website and their current Vernet offering of these Bach organ works is inserted above, i.e. the re-issue box w/ 15 CDs - the price for me would be 32 Euros w/o VAT (not sure about shipping across the pond - sent them an email) - just curious if those 4 discs not included are solo or multi-performers pieces?  I assume the latter since my Alain & Koopman boxes have 15 & 16 CDs, respectively.  Thanks for any comments - Dave

Hi Dave. The four missing discs are available separately, see AmazonFr link underneath the image. The missing works are all concertos, transcriptions of other works for organs.





https://www.amazon.fr/Concertos-pour-Orgues-Olivier-Vernet/dp/B06XJ3HG31/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=43SK5EK2F7P82MHW34TK

[Wakefield]

If you are looking for the 19 CD set,see link

https://www.cdandlp.com/en/bach-johann-sebastian/organ-works-etc-olivier-vernet/cd-box-set/r116649361/

Thanks,Traverso. 

I meant a suggestion for a new listen, as I purchased this set some years ago. I'd swear that its price was quite lower.

[Mirror Image]

Takemitsu: A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, cond. Alsop


武満: 鳥は星形の庭に降りる
Boston Symphony Orchestra, cond. 小澤


Ozawa's recording is by far the better one.  He and the Boston Symphony bring out the inner life and color of the music, while Alsop sounds muted and grey by comparison.

I can only concur. Alsop, for me, misunderstood the idiom or simply didn't have enough rehearsal time. Ozawa will forever be the ultimate Takemitsu conductor with, perhaps, Knussen coming in second place. These conductors truly know the idiosyncrasies of this music and how it works.

By the way, have you had a chance to listen to Ran? One of my favorite Takemitsu works.

[Mirror Image]

Just finished the 5th symphony - a live performance. This disc has received encomiums from Amazon reviewers, but it won't get one from me. I found it tepid and as alive as an empty house with a for sale sign on the lawn. It's not actively bad, just dutiful and going through the motions. In this context the massively slow coda makes no sense whatsoever. Kondrashin is one of the rare conductors to adopt this trudge, but it comes after a gut-wrenching, open-wounds type of performance. The orchestra plays well but no more. Even the NYPO (Mitropolos, Bernstein) has much more characterful winds and brass. A disappointment.

I love the 6th to pieces, but there's no denying its stature in the Shostakovich canon is on a lesser plane. Still, it never fails to make an impact with its juxtaposition of gloomy, tragic, impish and clownish gestures.

Temirkanov has never been a conductor I've thought much of. His Shostakovich sounds rather limp and uninspired compared to my favorites.

[Traverso]

Thanks,Traverso. 

I meant a suggestion for a new listen, as I purchased this set some years ago. I'd swear that its price was quite lower.

I purchased this set last week and I hopefully will get it this week.My set is 60 euros and I think that it will become only more costly now it is deleted.
I think that it will be hard to find a new 19 CD set below the 100 euros.

https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Complete-Organ-Olivier-Vernet/dp/B002ZXZJ92

The set I enjoy the most at the moment is de Philips Rübsam box.The Weinberger recordings are sometimes  a bit heavyhanded but they are enjoyable too.

[JBS]

Thanks,Traverso. 

I meant a suggestion for a new listen, as I purchased this set some years ago. I'd swear that its price was quite lower.

Re Vernet Bach set
IIRC you got it the same time as me when JPC was practically giving it away for €19.99. Talk about a SDCB!

TD
Adam
Giselle
Complete ballet (I think)
ASMF Marinner

[listener]

KORNOLD:  String Sextet in D op.10  SCHOENBERG: Verklärte Nacht  op. 4 (string sextet version)
The Raphael Ensemble
VILLA-LOBOS: Magdalena: a musical adventure
Judy Kaye, Jerry Hadley, et. al.     Evans Haile cond.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

#morninglistening to #Lully #motets w/@lesartsflo w/#WilliamChristie on @harmoniamundi / @piasclassicsusa

: http://a-fwd.to/5U8QJjN

#PetitsMotets of #JeanBaptisteLully

In a VERY gorgeous re-issues series ON #harmoniaMundi

[Traverso]

Re Vernet Bach set
IIRC you got it the same time as me when JPC was practically giving it away for €19.99. Talk about a SDCB!

TD
Adam
Giselle
Complete ballet (I think)
ASMF Marinner

Anyway I got one.

[Daverz]

Yesterday Symphony No. 3 from this favorite old set, and now Symphony No. 2:

[asin] B000000FL6[/asin]

[Daverz]

Temirkanov has never been a conductor I've thought much of. His Shostakovich sounds rather limp and uninspired compared to my favorites.

I really like his recordings of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2. 

[Mahlerian]

I can only concur. Alsop, for me, misunderstood the idiom or simply didn't have enough rehearsal time. Ozawa will forever be the ultimate Takemitsu conductor with, perhaps, Knussen coming in second place. These conductors truly know the idiosyncrasies of this music and how it works.

Takemitsu and Ozawa were pretty good friends, I think, and Ozawa was far better at this music than he ever was at Mahler's!

By the way, have you had a chance to listen to Ran? One of my favorite Takemitsu works.

I've seen it.  (Great movie, incidentally.)  Haven't listened to the score by itself, and the only Takemitsu film scores I know are the ones he excerpted for various concert works.

[Wakefield]

Re Vernet Bach set
IIRC you got it the same time as me when JPC was practically giving it away for €19.99. Talk about a SDCB!

No, I wasn't that lucky.  I'm pretty sure I bought it at full price. I thought that was on Amazon France, but my record there only includes two complete sets: Isoir and Corti, this latter quite expensive, indeed.

[Daverz]

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 (Nowak), via Tidal.

[asin] B07C5K7RXN[/asin]

One of the fastest 8ths I've ever heard:

14:13 
13:30 
21:47 
19:49
------
69:20 total

Overall, an engaging performance, except for -- as the MusicWeb review puts it -- the "underwhelming counterpoints of the horns in the finale".

[SonicMan46]

Hi Dave. The four missing discs are available separately, see AmazonFr link underneath the image. The missing works are all concertos, transcriptions of other works for organs.

 

https://www.amazon.fr/Concertos-pour-Orgues-Olivier-Vernet/dp/B06XJ3HG31/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=43SK5EK2F7P82MHW34TK

Hi DD - thanks for the comments & link - believe for me the 15 disc will be fine (inserted above), plus looking at the description on the Ligia Website, the recordings seemed to be remastered (quote below) - SO, I went ahead and ordered the Vernet box from Amazon France - my Amazon USA password worked and all of my mailing and credit info was there already - total purchase was 40 Euros w/ shipping, so about 3 bucks a CD for me - I'm happy w/ the purchase.  Dave

On 12 of the most beautiful German Baroque organs, historic or newly built in Germany, France and Italy, the modern integral reference of the organ work of JS. Bach, unanimously hailed by the specialized press and published on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the death of Cantor Leipzig in the year 2000 is again available remastered in High Definition (96 khz / 24 bit).

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I really like his recordings of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2. 

Big +1! I wasn't aware anyone else liked Temirkanov's 2nd. I have the Royal PO edition pictured below (haven't heard his St. Petersburg). One of its strengths the great analogue sound (at least on my system).

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Hi DD - thanks for the comments & link - believe for me the 15 disc will be fine (inserted above), plus looking at the description on the Ligia Website, the recordings seemed to be remastered (quote below) - SO, I went ahead and ordered the Vernet box from Amazon France - my Amazon USA password worked and all of my mailing and credit info was there already - total purchase was 40 Euros w/ shipping, so about 3 bucks a CD for me - I'm happy w/ the purchase.  Dave

Awesome! One of the things I love about Vernet's set is that it's a perfect complement to Foccroulle's set. Foccroulle is more on the "intimate" side, preferring to keep the music within the confines of a modest chapel. But Vernet...get ready to have your roof blown off!!

[Daverz]

Bruckner: Symphony No. 0

[asin] B005UU06F4[/asin]

Very light textures.  I'm not sure about this, but it is intriguing.  Lovely playing.

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Furtwängler/Berlin SO 1949.

[asin] B000006DE7[/asin]

Maybe not as good as the Grand Slam transfer heard at Saturday's Brucknerthon, but still pretty good sounding.