What are you listening to now?

[Mandryka]

I am more bothered by the recorder tracks which seem to be such a drastic change from the sound of the voices they are jarring to my ears.

Just skip 'em!

Hopefully they'll reply to my email. They're not naive when it comes to questions about informed practice, and neither are Sound and Fury, so let's see. The actual practices (as opposed to the practices the pope's office recommended) may not have coincided.

[Madiel]

Now listening to what in my head is automatically tagged as "Scriabin's worst opus". We will see if the op.3 mazurkas can redeem themselves.



To be honest, no.1 is doing better than I remember. Though that's really the middle section. The outer sections are still a bit meh.

EDIT: The set as a whole is also doing a bit better, in part because I'm listening to a couple at a time before a quick break. 10 mazurkas is still too many in one go, though, when not enough of them have sufficiently distinct character.

[San Antone]

Just skip 'em!

Hopefully they'll reply to my email. They're not naive when it comes to questions about informed practice, and neither are Sound and Fury, so let's see. The actual practices (as opposed to the practices the pope's office recommended) may not have coincided.

Well, yeah I could do that, but I would have preferred had they done what Jeremy Summerly did (and most others do) which is to intersperse motets either by Ockeghem or a contemporaneous composer.

[Mandryka]

Here's a nice CD that Erhardt was involved in, on spotify and rather good at first glance as it were

Eucharius Hoffmann
? - 1588   In Domine   
Josquin Des Prez
c.1450/55-1521   O Virgo prudentissima   
Anonymus   Vulnerasti cor meum   
Jacques Arcadelt
c.1507-1568   Nuptiae factae sunt   
Jakob Meiland
1542-1577   O pulcherrima in mulieres   
Ludwig Senfl
c.1486-c.1542/43   Alleluia, mane nobiscum Domine   
Antonio Scandello
1517-1580   Christ lag in Todesbanden   
Gregor Lange
c.1540-1587   Ich will des Herren Zorn tragen   
Antonio Scandello
1517-1580   Allein zu dir   
Thomas Stoltzer
c.1480-1526   Beati omnes   
Heinrich Isaac
c.1450-1517   Christus filius Dei

A comment from the booklet here which makes them sound informed and sympathetic to me

Since its founding in 2007, under the artistic direction of Maurice van Lieshout, Schola Stralsundensis has
been devoted to historical interpretation and performance of 16th-century repertoire, music almost invariably
sung a capella these days. However, many chapels consisting of both singers and instrumentalists – such as that of
Emperor Maximilian I – were in existence during the period, and by reviving this tradition of blending voices and
instruments, Schola Stralsundensis hopes to rediscover the characteristic sounds and colours of the Renaissance.
Depending on the programme, the ensemble's size varies between 16 and 20 specialist singers and instrumentalists, performing in a historical choirbook-setting: two large books, each containing all five or six voices, are placed
on both sides of a music stand positioned amidst the musicians. . . .
[E]ucharius Hoffmann's
sensuous style bears the influence of the – then new
– humanist conceptions of the 16th century. Hoffmann
avoids complex polyphonic processes, employing
instead a declamation of the verse through means of
homophonic phrasing, whereby both harmony and
melody serve the subjective experience of the text. . . .

In 16th-century Germany, chiefly thanks to the
influence of Reformist ideas, more and more court
chapels and choir-schools included instrumentalists
and acquired a large number of instruments. An inventory of the Berlin court chapel dated 1582 shows
us that it had at its disposal, among others, two cases
containing 15 recorders, as well as a case of nine transverse flutes. In 1580, two years previous, the chapel's
regulations were rewritten: "This music is exquisitely
suitable to be sung or played by instruments alternately, or with all kinds of wind instruments, sweetly at
home, or at table, or in the chamber – on any occasion
and in any way". . . This evolution
can also be traced through numerous documents from
within those areas that remained catholic . . .

[vandermolen]

David Morgan: Contrasts
[asin]B000YAQPNM[/asin]
'To the Memory of Shostakovich'

[king ubu]

Sure, but the recording is called "Un petit théâtre du monde." In the booklet he explains a bit what he's up to

Okay, I see what you mean. Read the interview in the meantime ... and am listening to the first disc by now. Not sure his approach warrants too much criticism - how, after all, do other make their picks? Experience, opinion, favourite pieces, considerations of what "will fit"? He discusses it openly, which is rather unusual I think? Either way, I like what I'm hearing and I am certainly curious to see what the "add-ons" will be.

[Mandryka]

Not sure his approach warrants too much criticism - how, after all, do other make their picks?

Of course not, it's just me who finds the idea of two discs of theatricality a bit repulsive! When he makes his choices on other grounds I'll be more interested I'm sure.

[Que]

Morning listening:

[asin]B001G55U4O[/asin]
The stuff you buy when it is on sale....
But that's the whole point of bargains - they are adventures!

This disc is surely an adventure, exploring no less than 7 historical organs on the Canary Islands.
To my utter surprise 4 of them are not by builders from Spain but from Northern Germany!

Q

[king ubu]

Of course not, it's just me who finds the idea of two discs of theatricality a bit repulsive! When he makes his choices on other grounds I'll be more interested I'm sure.

Okay, I see ... but don't quite understand, as it seems the theatre (both the one on stage and the theatrum mundi) was quite important in Couperin's life ... reading the Clark/Connon book slowly (with some other historical stuff in between) I get that impression at least. Just in case, the book can be bought straight from the publisher's:
http://www.keyword-press.co.uk/mirrordetail.htm

[vandermolen]

Holst: The Planets [Boult]





A good one.

A classic performance and a great cover image. Another nostalgia trip!

[Traverso]

Schubert

CD 4

Heroism

[Que]

A rare combination of a fortepiano (after Walter & Sohn ca. 1805) and a harpsichord (after Ruckers):

[asin]B009DBKNT0[/asin]

A delightful recording, featuring works from the Galant/early Classical era for two keyboard instruments from the music library of the Saxon Elector Friedrich August III (1750-1827) by Peter August, Joseph Schuster, Carl Heinrich Graun, Johann Gottlieb Janitsch and Joseph Haydn.

Q

[aligreto]

Handel: Messiah [Susskind]





I like this version. I particularly like the choral vocal element of the presentation very much; it is quite vibrant and alive. The performance, overall, is well driven.

[aligreto]

Some CHARPENTIER Noëls and Christmas Motets
Aradia Ensemble     Kevin Mallon, cond.

I like that one.

[aligreto]

A classic performance and a great cover image. Another nostalgia trip!

The nostalgia trips are good too.

[Traverso]

The nostalgia trips are good too.

In this case, I have more nostalgic feelings for the label than the cover.

[Florestan]

I like that one.

Then you should get the other volume too.

[San Antone]

Mahler 5 : Vanska

[vandermolen]

The nostalgia trips are good too.

Thread Duty:

David Morgan: Contrasts (again).

I find more and more in this comparatively short work. I think that Morgan's premature death was a great loss to music. In a way his modern but tonal music, from a young composer in the 1970s, was quite courageous I think. I find his tribute to Shostakovich both inspiriting and moving. I have listened to it about five times today, whilst wrapping Christmas presents.

[Que]

.[asin]B001QSDD4K[/asin]
This Krommer (Kramář) recording is complementary to the one on Pan Classics.

Q