What are you listening to now?

[vandermolen]

'Medea's Dance of Vengeance' by Samuel Barber. A marvellous performance under a tragically short-lived conductor:

[Harry]

Backlog.

La Tarantella, Antidotum Tarantulae.

CD IV

Lucilla Galeazzi, Soprano.
Marco Beasley, Tenor.

L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar.

I am not always amused by what Pluhar is doing, like changing the music at will, sort of freely improvising, but in the case of this CD it stays within bounds. Galeazzi and Beasley are superb.
A fine recording.

[Harry]

Backlog.

Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger.
"La Villanella".

Johannette Zomer, Soprano.
Pino De Vittorio, Tenor.
Hans Jorg Mammel, Tenor.
L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar.

CD 1 from the Alpha box, containing all the recordings she made for this label
The sound is a bit too close for comfort. Normally the voices of Zomer or both tenors are well rounded and pleasing to the ear, but in this case the close miking is straining your ears considerably. The music is superb, and that counts for something.

[ritter]

No.1 was quite a discovery for me. I prefer it to the better known 'Facetter'. It has a rather fine ending of grim determination if I remember correctly.
...

Having listened to all three symphonies now, I still prefer No. 3, "Facetter". Blomdahl's peculiar style of "12-tone boogie-woogie"  (which makes an appearance here, but is really noticeable in Aniara and at the end of the of the ballet Sisyphos) is quite fun. But the earlier symphonies are certainly accomplished and interesting, and show his progress from "modernity" to "avant-gardism" (even if his avant-garde style is very personal).

[Karl Henning]

Almost forgot! I found my favorite symphony so far by Prokofiev, the second! Listened to the Ozawa and went ape, love that one. I tried out the seventh and loved the first movement, but am looking forward to letting all this grow on me

Excellent!

[Karl Henning]

I especially enjoy the QM's recordings of Haydn's op. 20, easily my favorite piece(s) by him.

Me: Got caught up in Petrenko's performance of Mitya's Symphony no. 4, and now I really love this symphony. I'm being delinquent in my appreciation, as I still haven't heard Shostakovich's 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, or 14 yet but I'm getting there! Love all the ones I've heard, including the charming 9.

Excellent, too!

[Traverso]

Beethoven

piano sonatas 31 & 32

[Karl Henning]

Thread Duty:
Pergolesi & A. Scarlatti
Stabat Mater
Concerto Italiano

[Madiel]

I'm watching La Gioconda (by Ponchielli) on Operavision.

To be honest it will probably take me a couple of nights, an act at a time. Grand opera is more of a curiosity than a pleasure at this stage, but I very much appreciate Operavision as a means of trying it out.

[Biffo]

Beethoven: Symphony No 2 in D - Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (1963) - not much different from the Philharmonia recording, better sound

[vandermolen]

Having listened to all three symphonies now, I still prefer No. 3, "Facetter". Blomdahl's peculiar style of "12-tone boogie-woogie"  (which makes an appearance here, but is really noticeable in Aniara and at the end of the of the ballet Sisyphos) is quite fun. But the earlier symphonies are certainly accomplished and interesting, and show his progress from "modernity" to "avant-gardism" (even if his avant-garde style is very personal).

Interesting. I will give 'Facetter' another listen to. I have two recordings of that work. There are some enjoyable extracts from 'Aniara' ('Vintergaten' and 'Kristal') on a CD of mainly film music called 'Journey to the Stars' recommended by relm 1:

[Traverso]

Beethoven

Andante favori in F major  I really love this piece.:angel:
Sonata No.29 in B flat Op.106 "hammerklavier"

[Harry]

Backlog.

Songs from the courts of Renaissance Italy.

"Frottole".

Songs & Instrumental compositions by  Obrecht, Bossinensis, Brocco, Compere, Isaac, Tromboncino, Brumel, Urrede, Capirola, Desprez, Hesdimois, Anonymous

Ulrike Hofbauer, soprano.
The Modena Consort.

I heaped praises on this recording many times before, so I am not going to repeat myself again.
It's simply wonderful.

[André]

No.1 was quite a discovery for me. I prefer it to the better known 'Facetter'. It has a rather fine ending of grim determination if I remember correctly.

Thread duty:
Symphony 8
A moving wartime performance complete with US radio announcement at the start:

+1

A terrific - and terrifying - performance. The musicians certainly earned their pay that evening. The sound is surprisingly good for the vintage.

[Harry]

New arrival.

August Joseph Norbert Burgmuller.

CD 3.

SQ No. 1, opus 4, in D minor & No. 3, opus 9, in A flat major.

Mannheimer Streichquartett.

Licensed from MDG.

As with the previous on which the SQ No. 4 & 2 were recorded, this disc recorded 2 years later is as magnificent as the previous one from 2000. Burgmuller"s music is special, emotionally moving, and deliciously honest. I would call this pure music, which is a very personal statement and therefore subjective, but there it is...pure.
The Mannheimers are a very able body, and they get right at the heart of this music.
Superb recorded.

[André]

Concerto « for wood, brass and gut » (1946)
Concerto for trumpet and orchestra (1948)
Concerto for trombone and orchestra (1950)
Concerto for viola, oboe and orchestra (1956)

A nicely varied combo of works here. The first one is a Theme and variations, 9-movement work. I particularly liked the trumpet concerto, an instrument I'm not usually attracted to. Invention allied to simplicity is the name of the game in these concertos, following a pattern first espoused by Telemann and Haydn and continued with Hindemith. Highly stimulating stuff.

[Muzio]

CD 17 of 20. "Guitarra Romantica."  Narciso Yepes: The Complete Solo Recordings.

[Harry]

New arrival.

August Joseph Norbert Burgmuller.

CD IV.

Piano Sonata opus 8 in F minor.
Duo for Clarinet and Piano, opus 15 in E flat major.

Hiroko Maruko, Piano, Piano.
Dieter Klocker, Clarinet.

Licensed by MDG.

Two beautiful pieces, well recorded and performed.

[Traverso]

Beethoven

Symphony No.8

Concertgebouw Orchestra Bernard Haitink

 

[SonicMan46]

Mozart, WA - Symphonies w/ Hogwood/Schröder and the Academy of Ancient Music - purchased back in 2010 and not listened to in a while, so my weekend project - may not get through all 19 CDs but starting from the first disc -   Dave