What are you listening to now?

[Karl Henning]

Yes, I was not nearly so lucky with regards to price, but no regrets. I've been enjoying these recordings since I got them when they were first collected in the Argerich Editions.

Ditto!

[Karl Henning]

Thread Duty:

Elgar
Crown of India Suite, Op.66
The composer conducting

[asin]B004MSRDK6[/asin]

[Karl Henning]

"Wolferl"
Pf Sonata in D, K.576
Eschenbach

[Karl Henning]

Word on the street is that Rakhmaninov is tired of being pinched   

[Karl Henning]

Thread Duty:

Stravinsky
Etude for Pianola
Paul Jacobs & Ursula Oppens

[Karl Henning]

Piston
Symphony № 2
iii. Allegro
Seattle
Schwarz

[Karl Henning]

Schuman
String Quartet № 3
i. Introduction & Fugue
Gordon String Quartet

[André]

Sir Eugene Goossens

  Arrived this afternoon and I was wondering if the composer has a distinct voice of his own.I   first listen to it in order to give my comments as honest as any artist deserves to get.
The piano concerto:
My first impression is that I hear all kind of influences wich is not a bad thing if the result is so rewarding as is evidently the case here. The piano concerto  is refined and colourful,it is french oriented but with a pinch of Rachmaninov.
The symphony is a totally different matter, coherent and more convincing.It has a Delius like poetry and feels like a wandering in the countryside,gentle and timeless.It is a wonderful   composition as we move to the third part ,it remains full of melodious  narrative paintings with cheerful marching rhythms.The last part gives me again the idea that I'm listening to a long symphonic poem.
It is perhaps a mix of Debussy and Delius,anyway ,I liked it  and while I was listening I just found the words that came to my mind, hearing this music for the first time,sure no wasted time  .

You comment incites me to put it next on the listening pile  .

..........................

TD

Another go at the Büttner disc.



Movement I is nice without heralding anything special. The Scherzo had me thinking it bears a striking resemblance to the similar movement in Hugo Alfven's second symphony (premiered by Stenhammar in 1899). I wonder if Buttner had an occasion to hear it (his own 4th symphony dates from 1919). The Andante maestoso is a gorgeous confection, with just the right balance between nobility and a sentiment of sadness. Unabashed portamentos from the strings certainly give it a very romantic feel. The Finale displays typically brucknerian string writing, straight out of Bruckner's storm clouds at the beginning of Helgoland or the Te Deum.

The symphony goes from strength to strength as it progresses, then. I see that the Musicweb forum has enthusiastic comments about it, with good reason IMO.

[Irons]

Sir Eugene Goossens

  Arrived this afternoon and I was wondering if the composer has a distinct voice of his own.I   first listen to it in order to give my comments as honest as any artist deserves to get.
The piano concerto:
My first impression is that I hear all kind of influences wich is not a bad thing if the result is so rewarding as is evidently the case here. The piano concerto  is refined and colourful,it is french oriented but with a pinch of Rachmaninov.
The symphony is a totally different matter, coherent and more convincing.It has a Delius like poetry and feels like a wandering in the countryside,gentle and timeless.It is a wonderful   composition as we move to the third part ,it remains full of melodious  narrative paintings with cheerful marching rhythms.The last part gives me again the idea that I'm listening to a long symphonic poem.
It is perhaps a mix of Debussy and Delius,anyway ,I liked it  and while I was listening I just found the words that came to my mind, hearing this music for the first time,sure no wasted time  .

Thanks for review. I'm sorely tempted as I am a big fan of Delius (maybe in a minority there) and Debussy.

[Irons]

Word on the street is that Rakhmaninov is tired of being pinched   

Have you heard Stanford's 2nd Piano Concerto?! Not so much pinch Rachmaninov's 2nd but blatant daylight robbery!

[aligreto]

Schumann: Symphony No. 1 [Herreweghe]





This is an impressive performance. It perhaps lacks the "weight" of other versions but the drive is there and while the music shines through in the lighter orchestral textures it never loses anything in terms of urgency or performance.

[Harry]

This is one of my fav recordings that I have in my collection of Orthodox music.

[André]

80 minutes of Goossens the composer under Vernon Handley. As is often the case the works are not presented in the order one would deem optimal. We get the symphony placed first, the concerto second, the short scherzo third and the last item is another concertante piece (written for three other Goossens siblings). The 42 minute symphony is obviously the major offering here, an ambitious piece indeed, whereas the other items offer a lighter side of the composer. Musicweb reviewer Rob Barnett rightly talks of "lower voltage". If the producers are serious about it, they should make sure that a "portrait of " disc presents the works in the order that will yield the most favourable light on the composer.

It would seem Goossens, a renowned conductor, would have absorbed all kinds of influences. Traverso mentioned Delius and Debussy. I didn't detect any of the latter, but the pastoral elements and flute arabeskes of the Andante espressivo do evoke delian "garden" music. Rob Barnett fires from all cylinders, with mentions of Bax, Bridge, Korngold, Zemlinsky, VW and Scriabine - all composers Goossens is likely to have conducted (he gave the UK premiere of Bax' second symphony). I don't know. That's a bit too much, I think. In any case, it's a good work from the late "turbulent late thirties [might] be loosely bracketed with the Hubert Clifford symphony, Stanley Bates 3rd and Arthur Benjamin's symphony " (Barnett again: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/july99/goossens2.htm.

I'm glad to have reacquainted myself with the Symphony after almost 10 years (for which I have to thank our Vandermolen  ). I will play the rest of the disc later this evening.

[aligreto]

Deirdre Mckay: A Pale Yellow Sky [Doris]





This is a work of seven movements each featuring contrasting music. It is a good workout for the soloist as it explores the full range of the instrument. It is an interesting work and it is well recorded.

[Ken B]

Rodrigo
Piano Concerto

Meh.

[Kontrapunctus]

I bought this mainly for the Turnage Piano Concerto (the world premiere performance), but the other two works are great, too! Excellent sound (24/96 FLAC).

[Kontrapunctus]

Very different beasts compared to Turnage's Piano Concerto! Excellent performances and sound.

[Ken B]

Rimsky-Korsakov
Isle of the Dead
San Diego, Talmi

I have not heard this in over 20 years. I used to play it often.  I had forgotten how good it is!

Glazunov
String Quartet 3
Shostakovich Quartet

First listen to this piece

[Que]

That prompted me to listen to one of the more unexpected combinations in recorded music, Fiocco and Koopman. Almost as extraordinary as Forqueray and Koopman!



What with you and me  listening to Fiocco, and Harry and Poul listening to Chaumont, we really are going quite far  into French music today.

Your post prompted me take this from the shelves for a morning listening 

[asin]B000N39I20[/asin]

Q

[Christo]

Sir Eugene Goossens

Arrived this afternoon and I was wondering if the composer has a distinct voice of his own.I   first listen to it in order to give my comments as honest as any artist deserves to get.
The symphony is a totally different matter, coherent and more convincing. It has a Delius like poetry and feels like a wandering in the countryside,gentle and timeless. It is a wonderful  composition as we move to the third part, it remains full of melodious  narrative paintings with cheerful marching rhythms. The last part gives me again the idea that I'm listening to a long symphonic poem. It is perhaps a mix of Debussy and Delius, anyway, I liked it and while I was listening I just found the words that came to my mind, hearing this music for the first time, sure no wasted time .

80 minutes of Goossens the composer under Vernon Handley. As is often the case the works are not presented in the order one would deem optimal. We get the symphony placed first, the concerto second, the short scherzo third and the last item is another concertante piece (written for three other Goossens siblings). The 42 minute symphony is obviously the major offering here, an ambitious piece indeed, whereas the other items offer a lighter side of the composer. Musicweb reviewer Rob Barnett rightly talks of "lower voltage". If the producers are serious about it, they should make sure that a "portrait of " disc presents the works in the order that will yield the most favourable light on the composer.

It would seem Goossens, a renowned conductor, would have absorbed all kinds of influences. Traverso mentioned Delius and Debussy. I didn't detect any of the latter, but the pastoral elements and flute arabeskes of the Andante espressivo do evoke delian "garden" music. Rob Barnett fires from all cylinders, with mentions of Bax, Bridge, Korngold, Zemlinsky, VW and Scriabine - all composers Goossens is likely to have conducted (he gave the UK premiere of Bax' second symphony). I don't know. That's a bit too much, I think. In any case, it's a good work from the late "turbulent late thirties [might] be loosely bracketed with the Hubert Clifford symphony, Stanley Bates 3rd and Arthur Benjamin's symphony " (Barnett again: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/july99/goossens2.htm.

I'm glad to have reacquainted myself with the Symphony after almost 10 years (for which I have to thank our Vandermolen  ). I will play the rest of the disc later this evening.

Great to see both (extant) recordings of this very epic symphony here, especially because I appreciate both of your comments! It was a third (first) recording that won me over, still my favourite, because of its sligthly higher voltage (but only released on vinyl): David Measham conducting the Adelaide SO: