What are you listening to now?

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

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cilgwyn

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on July 17, 2019, 06:53:01 AM
Bax Symphony No.1 (1921-22), Thomson conducting the LPO




Sarge
My favourite recording! The second movement is particularly thrilling,and the best performance on Lp/cd,ever,imho!

cilgwyn

Symphonic Studies! This cd arrived today. I did have some of it,in the form of a download;but never the actual cd or Lp! Nice to have the actual cd,with the booklet and photo on the front. I think this is powerful,well argued music. Not a wasted,note! (I haven't got to the concertos,yet!).


aligreto

Elgar: Violin Concerto [Zukerman/Barenboim]





The opening movement is robust, energetic and assertive. The Andante is aching and hauntingly intense and enhanced by Zukerman's rich tone. The final movement is a bit ambivalent in that it is somewhat contemplative and plaintive in tone yet is filled with bravura. Listening to this movement I think that there must be some very difficult passages to navigate which Zukerman does with ease.

aligreto

Quote from: Que on July 16, 2019, 10:13:50 PM
Excellent!  :) Visited most Scandinavian capitals & St. Petersburg, very satisfying....  8)

Love to revisit the Hermitage some time in the future.

Q

Good to have you back.

aligreto

Poulenc: Sonata for Violin and Piano [Suk/Panenka]



aligreto

Mahler: Symphony 4 [Kletzki]


   


The overall sound is very good and the music is wonderfully played with a very light touch and a rich sound from the strings. As a result the music is very transparent and this allows for every detail to shine through. I particularly enjoy the third movement which is played with much pathos and beauty. The soprano, Emmy Loose has, for me, an unusual voice which allows her to carry off the "childlike" requirement very well.

Karl Henning

#138766
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

North Star

Quote from: Irons on July 14, 2019, 11:07:46 PM
The Valois issue has spiked my interest. Was it produced by Michel Bernstein?
It appears not.
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

Karl Henning

Nielsen
Suite, Op.45
Three Piano Pieces, Op.59
Herman Koppel
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

aligreto

Schumann: Fantasy in C major Op. 17 [Horowitz]



vandermolen

War Requiem:

A very fine performance IMO.
"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).

vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on July 17, 2019, 07:33:02 AM
Symphonic Studies! This cd arrived today. I did have some of it,in the form of a download;but never the actual cd or Lp! Nice to have the actual cd,with the booklet and photo on the front. I think this is powerful,well argued music. Not a wasted,note! (I haven't got to the concertos,yet!).


A fabulous CD cigwyn. I'm also very much a fan of the piano concertos, No.2 in particular.
"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).

aligreto

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 [Bernstein]





Yes this is a robust and assertive performance which has the requisite drama and tension in the outer movements but it is still a lyrical presentation which is amply demonstrated in the slow movement. The strings sound lush and full. The pacing throughout is relaxed and expansive allowing the music to really shine through.

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: cilgwyn on July 17, 2019, 07:19:32 AM
My favourite recording! The second movement is particularly thrilling,and the best performance on Lp/cd,ever,imho!

Yes, a great performance (and my first Bax CD, bought sometime in the early 90s) but (and here I'm going against the GMG consensus) I actually prefer the Handley version, the brisker tempos and, to my ears, the more haunting soundscape. But it's a close run race.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

aligreto

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 [Klemperer]





This is a fine, robust performance with a wonderful display from the brass section throughout.

aligreto

Mozart: Symphony No. 40 [Tate]



cilgwyn

#138776
The Mikado. Cd 2. Well,despite the criticism at oak apple press (Gilbert & Sullivan central!) I find this a very enjoyable,spirited and well sung recording of the famous operetta. The singing is spirited,the dialogue is delivered in a lively,entertaining fashion. In fact,it could even become a favourite........or even,my favourite;because of the inclusion of dialogue. There may be some cuts;but,it all comes over (to me,anyway) as a breath of fresh of air,after some of the more stilted British recordings I've had to endure. I must admit,I find myself,increasingly,warming to the Ohio Light Opera recordings of G & S. I even like their Princess Ida. Although,they've improved allot since then. And their Ruddigore was the most fun,since the 1966 BBC recording. I only hope they will release a good recording of Iolanthe,now!



There had to be something!! The least scary Mikado in G & S,recording,history! ::) ;D Still,he sings well;and I liked the,fun interpolation,of the women giggling. I should point out,that 'favourite' is a bit different from best! I enjoyed this recording very much,though!! And good on the Americans for including dialogue;even if it's been pruned a bit! There's enough for me,anyway!! :) A good Iolanthe next,please,OLO! :)

premont

Quote from: aligreto on July 17, 2019, 12:46:51 PM
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 [Klemperer]

This is a fine, robust performance with a wonderful display from the brass section throughout.

This tremendous recording was my first encounter with this work in 1957. Even if I wasn't but a child, I was deeply impressed.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

SymphonicAddict

Quote from: schnittkease on July 15, 2019, 08:27:05 PM
Maybe you're hearing the wrong performance. I think Rattle does a great job with Op. 31.

https://www.youtube.com/v/g7wefv98lvo

You shouldn't approach this music different than you would earlier music. Schoenberg was as much a Romantic as Brahms or Tchaikovsky.

Thanks for the encouragement, albeit I don't think I'm not going to listen to it soon.

SymphonicAddict

#138779
Two American symphonies:



Hovhaness - Symphony No. 6 Celestial Gate: A quite lovely piece, reaching many touching moments. It has to be one of his most melodious symphonies. There is a melody that sounds incredibly similar to the theme of My heart will go on from Titanic. Perhaps that soundtrack composer was inspired by Hovhaness (?).

Maslanka - Symphony No. 4: If the Hovhaness is the lyrical one, the Maslanka is the epic one! A tremendous and invigorating symphony. This kind of band works really appeal to me.