What are you listening to now?

Started by Dungeon Master, February 15, 2013, 09:13:11 PM

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André

Quote from: Malx on January 11, 2019, 02:06:13 PM

I will be driving past Kingussie on Thursday and will have a good view of Ruthven Barracks on my way past.

Some coincidence !! Have a thought for Wordsworth when you get there !  ;)


André

MI: Hi John, good to see you up and posting !

You're allowed resting periods, but no leave of absence will be allowed  ;) !

Mirror Image

Quote from: kyjo on January 11, 2019, 05:41:44 PM
Well, it depends on the work in question I suppose. Don't get me wrong, I love RVW deeply as well. :)

Speaking of Finzi, have you heard the newer recording of his Cello Concerto with Paul Watkins/A. Davis? If yes, how is it compared to say my personal benchmark: Yo Yo Ma/Handley?

André



This disc is a peach !

3 absolutely wonderful works. The Caribbean Concerto has a slow movement to die for. Film music composers would sell their soul for such a theme !


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

And for something completely different: SQ no 2 from that set


Mirror Image

Nielsen: Symphony No. 5



There's no telling how many times I've listened to this performance and, in particular, this symphony from Nielsen. Certainly one of my desert island discs.

kyjo

#127945
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 11, 2019, 05:52:09 PM
Speaking of Finzi, have you heard the newer recording of his Cello Concerto with Paul Watkins/A. Davis? If yes, how is it compared to say my personal benchmark: Yo Yo Ma/Handley?

Yes, I have, and it's a fantastic recording; probably the finest released of the work so far. As good as Ma/Handley and Hugh/Griffiths are, Watkins/Davis surpasses them IMO. You won't be disappointed!
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

kyjo

Quote from: André on January 11, 2019, 05:51:10 PM
MI: Hi John, good to see you up and posting !

You're allowed resting periods, but no leave of absence will be allowed  ;) !

+1 ;)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

Quote from: André on January 11, 2019, 05:51:10 PM
MI: Hi John, good to see you up and posting !

You're allowed resting periods, but no leave of absence will be allowed  ;) !

Thanks! Great to see you too, Andre. I'll definitely be sticking around this time as I'm hooked yet again.

Mirror Image

Quote from: kyjo on January 11, 2019, 06:00:31 PM
Yes, I have, and it's a fantastic recording; probably the finest released of the work so far. As good as Ma/Handley and Hugh/Griffiths are, Watkins/Davis surpasses them IMO. You won't be disappointed!

Wow, sounds like I need to hear this recording....

[Marches off to Amazon to place yet another quick order.] :)

JBS

Quote from: André on January 11, 2019, 05:51:10 PM
MI: Hi John, good to see you up and posting !

You're allowed resting periods, but no leave of absence will be allowed  ;) !

Same here!
TD
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At this point, I started what is probably the best known segment of this box, the Beethoven cycle with the Philharmonia from the 1950s. Tonight it was the turn of the 3rd and 8th.
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CD5
Motets Opp. 29/74/110
Geistliches Lied Op. 30
Missa canonica WoO 18
Choruses for female voices, two horns, and harp Op 17

I think Gardiner included the last one in his Brahms cycle, but other than that all this music is new to me.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

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Ghost of Baron Scarpia

Good to see you back and listening to classical again, MI.

Mirror Image

Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on January 11, 2019, 06:38:32 PM
Good to see you back and listening to classical again, MI.

Thank you kindly, Scarpia.

Mirror Image

The 6th from this new acquired set:


SonicMan46

Janitsch, Johann Gottlieb (1708-1763) - Sonate(s) en Quatuor & da Camera w/ Notturna - stimulated by Harry's post recently - bought the first volume 3 years ago and soon added the other two recordings - beautifully performed and recorded Baroque chamber wind music on period instruments - just purchased a new iPad Pro w/ 256GB of storage so I can add a LOT more music - will likely rip these CDs and put on my new toy for additional music 'on the road' - :)  Dave

   

kyjo

#127955
Moszkowski - Piano Concerto (no. 2) in E major

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A delightful, tuneful, scintillating work. It has garnered quite a bit of high praise in certain quarters, which is understandable, but it didn't impress me as much as, say, Emil von Sauer's 1st PC (to name another lesser-known PC written around the same time).


Sibelius - String Quartet in D minor Voces intimae

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I wasn't too crazy about this work the first couple times I heard it, but by now it's grown on me (though I don't like it as much as most of his orchestral works). The vivacious finale, with its "folk fiddling" influences, is especially enjoyable.


Tournemire - Symphony no. 6

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My first encounter with Tournemire's music, and, my, was I impressed! Written during WWI, it's an epic work for tenor soloist, chorus, organ, and orchestra that's quite individual in style, reminding me in places of Lili Boulanger's choral/orchestral works (particularly Psalm 130, which happens to be a text Tournemire also sets in the dramatic central portion of the work). Stirring stuff!


Maconchy - Symphony for Double String Orchestra

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A muscular, invigorating work that is a fine addition to the 20th-century string orchestra repertoire. Looking at Wikipedia, I see that Maconchy also has two symphonies for full orchestra that she withdrew - I'd sure like to hear them!


Farrenc - Nonet

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I was asked to play this in a couple months, so I gave it a spin. What delightful, fresh, mellifluous music!
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Mirror Image

#127956
Okay, had enough of Mahler bludgeoning me over the head...lol, so now something a bit more appropriate for the late night:

Debussy: Images, Series I & II



Of course, it's exquisite. Jacobs' touch is so remarkable.

kyjo

#127957
Gotta catch up on posting more recent listening before heading back to school...

Muczynski - Cello Sonata

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Another work which I happened upon at a recent local sheet music sale. What a find! I have no hesitation in calling it a masterpiece - it is superbly written, melodically inspired, and emotionally moving. While it occasionally echoes the cello sonatas of Shostakovich and Barber, Muczynski displays his own personal, intensely lyrical voice in this work. BTW, for those unaware, Muczynski (1929-2010) was an American composer best-known for his solo wind music, but who also composed orchestral music (including two symphonies which I'd very much like to hear) and solo piano works. His music has been, for the most part, unaccountably neglected if this sonata is anything to go by.


Rimsky-Korsakov - Piano Concerto

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A brief, attractive, folksy, but ultimately rather unmemorable concerto.


Rubbra - Symphony no. 6

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This is, quite simply, superb music, eloquent and deeply satisfying. Rubbra at his best.


Bach - Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, Cantata BWV 140

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Continuing my (leisurely) exploration of the Bach cantatas. This one is especially notable for its famous central chorale and its delightful penultimate duet.


Rautavaara - Symphony no. 6 Vincentiana

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A strange and colorful work, alternating between bizarre synthesizer solos (supposedly depicting Van Gogh's madness) and lush orchestral tableaux (depicting his paintings). Maybe not a totally convincing work as a whole (I wasn't a fan of the synthesizer bits, though they are rather effectively disturbing!), but there's some good stuff along the way. However, the star of this disc for me is the Cello Concerto (no. 1), a really powerful and accessible work which is all too short at just 17 minutes long (by contrast, the 40-minute symphony could've been trimmed down a bit).
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Madiel

#127958
Sibelius, The Rapids-Rider's Brides

That's multiple rapids, one rider, multiple brides...

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A dramatic ballad that has a lot in common with the Lemminkainen Suite tone poems of the same era.

Definitely another vocal work where knowing what is being sung about is an asset. Don't take your girlfriend on a boat with you in case a water spirit gets jealous.

EDIT: There appear to be only a small number of recordings. A fairly good database I've found only shows 3 for the original soloist + orchestra version, 2 of them with the same singer. Plus one piano version, and one recording of the choral arrangement. Surely this deserves better.
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

vandermolen

#127959
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 11, 2019, 04:44:59 PM
I barely made it through Finzi's Nocturne (New Year Music) without shedding a tear. This is a composer that I have repeatedly broken down with. It's almost as if we shared a similar soul. The yearning quality of his music resonates deeply with me.
I agree John that there is something very moving about Finzi's 'New Year Music' and much else besides. I got my daughter to get me the new Chandos recording of the Cello Concerto for Christmas and the CD also features the lovely Eclogue and the New Year Music.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).