What are you listening to now?

[SymphonicAddict]

I don't know that work, but two of Holst's choral/orchestral works have been great discoveries of mine recently: the First Choral Symphony and The Cloud Messenger. Do you know them?

Yes, I do! Two very fine works as far as I remember. Holst was an outstanding choral composer.

[SymphonicAddict]

Current listening:



Antonín Dvořák: Serenade for Strings in E major, op.22. Wow, what a great piece! This is one of the few Dvořák pieces I've heard. I think I need to explore his works in further depth.

The Serenade is a peach. Full of memorable tunes and elegant writing.

[SymphonicAddict]

Schnitke

String Quartets 3-1-2

This time it is really Schnitke,just arrived in the mailbox.

The SQ 2 is insane, almost like evil music at times.

[jwinter]

Having a Sibelian afternoon...

Symphonies 1 & 2, Blomstedt


Violin Concerto, Hahn


Finlandia, Karelia Suite, Ashkenazy

[Brian]

It's 6 o'clock somewhere!

[SymphonicAddict]

At first I had underestimated his 1st symphony. Now my impressions are much more positive. It's a charming, light and even tuneful piece. Nevertheless, it's the 2nd symphony the star of the disc. Much more ambitious in scope, brilliantly orchestrated, with plenty of drive and strong themes. Exciting to say the least. IIRC Bowen composed other 2 more symphonies, but they are lost (?). I'd pay to hear them.




Symphony in A major À Patria: A late work in the Romantic tradition. It's his only symphony, but a very good one. Of special pleasentness was the the 2nd movement with its nocturnal atmosphere and gentle beauty, and the folk music airs in the 3rd movement. Paraphrasing the Naxos booklet, it's a paean to the Portuguese nation, ending in jubilant triumph.

[ritter]

Pierre Boulez: Le Marteau sans maître. Pierre Boulez, Ensemble Intercontemporain with contralto Hilary Summers. This is my first time listening to the piece in full. I was surprised how much of it is purely instrumental. I was expecting more of a cantata/song-cycle type of affair. Very good piece though!

What a great idea!  Listening to Boulez conduct Le Marteau sans maître with the same vocalist (Hillary Summers) but a different ensemble (the West-Eastern Divan):

[asin]B01MZAVQGM[/asin]
Recorded live in Berlin in April 2010.

[vers la flamme]

^Awesome. You (I believe) showed me that Hommage à Boulez before, and I really want to get it. But I'm attempting to take a break from purchasing CDs online for the time being. It looks excellent, enjoy! I really enjoyed the Intercontemporain recording this morning. It definitely clicked like never before.

What of this recording...:



... any opinion...? I'm thinking of picking up a cheap box set on Sony which includes this work (it's entitled 20th Century Masterworks, and features a host of mostly extreme, far-out post-war avant-garde music in addition to the Boulez). I'm actually surprised how many times it has been recorded, especially by Boulez himself.

[Kontrapunctus]

Meh...great sound but rather pedestrian performances. (Luckily I could listen via Qobuz for free until my subscription expires in a week!)

[SimonNZ]

[HIPster]

Monteverdi, Marenzio and D'India:

[asin]B005USB1V4[/asin]

Alan Curtis leads his group Il Complesso Barocco.  Special note is the participation of a youthful Roberta Invernizzi. 

Excellent recording and performance.

[asin]B0013LPSA2[/asin]

The Brilliant is a three disc set focusing exclusively on D'India.  Three different ensembles/settings.  Currently playing disc one of Duets.  Very beautiful.

[HIPster]

I've a growing interest in Boccherini, SimonNZ.   

Que recommended this outstanding recording recently:

[asin]B06XWMFDRJ[/asin]

Cheers!

[JBS]

British String Concertos.
CD IV.

David Morgan, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.
Erich Gruenberg, Violin. Philharmonia Orchestra, Vernon Handley.

Don Banks.
Concerto for Violin and orchestra.
Yfrah Neaman, Violin.
Royal PO, Norman Del Mar.

Alun Hoddinott.
Nocturnes and Cadenzas for Cello & Orchestra, opus 62.
Philharmonia Orchestra, Charles Groves.
Moray Welsh, Cello.

This set of 4 CD'S is to my ears a feast, a banquet full with the food of discovery. All works on this disc at first were new to me, but since then they have become firm members of my family. The Violin is my preferred solo instrument, and in this a am generously gifted two fine concertos by David Morgan and Don Banks. Hoddinott is represented with a fine piece for cello and orchestra. I am very happy with the performances and recordings.
Lyrita seldomly disappoints if it comes to the artistic and musical merit.

Heartlily second this, and extend it to the whole series of Lyrita boxes.

[SimonNZ]

I've a growing interest in Boccherini, SimonNZ.   

Then that disc can be easily recommended. Beautifully played and sung. Will keep an eye out for that other one. Thanks.

now:

[JBS]

^Awesome. You (I believe) showed me that Hommage à Boulez before, and I really want to get it. But I'm attempting to take a break from purchasing CDs online for the time being. It looks excellent, enjoy! I really enjoyed the Intercontemporain recording this morning. It definitely clicked like never before.

What of this recording...:



... any opinion...? I'm thinking of picking up a cheap box set on Sony which includes this work (it's entitled 20th Century Masterworks, and features a host of mostly extreme, far-out post-war avant-garde music in addition to the Boulez). I'm actually surprised how many times it has been recorded, especially by Boulez himself.

As to the Boulez... after multiple listens to various Boulez-directed recordings of lMsM, I still don't like the work [it seems that the later the work the more I like it when it comes to his compositions] but the one I disliked least was this one.

As to the Sony box, I have that. How much interest do you have in electronic music?  It contains a number of works by avant garde composers, especially electronica, that will probably never again be recorded.  It contains a Maderna concerto and Boulez's Sonatine that I liked, but otherwise it bored me or worse.  So if you are actually interested in music of that era, consider it a mandatory purchase. If, like me, you are not, it is a curiosity.

[JBS]

TD
Schubert Lieder nach Gedichten von Goethe
C. Pregardien/A. Staier
CD 3 of this
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Followed by a second listen to this
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Which fully lives up to the standards this series has set.

[kyjo]

I did not realise that symphonies written by Hanson reached as high as seven. This is probably due to only listening to the Mercury recordings made by him. What do you think of the Mercury "Romantic" and "Nordic" Kyle ?

Yep, Hanson wrote seven symphonies, and each one of them is wonderful (with the 2nd and 3rd being my favorites). If I recall correctly, Hanson only recorded his first five symphonies (and only the first three have been transferred to CD). Fortunately, Gerard Schwarz and Delos came to the rescue and recorded them all, plus a good deal of his other orchestral and choral works (these recordings have been recently reissued on Naxos). Regarding Hanson's recording of the "Nordic" and "Romantic" symphonies on Mercury, I enjoy it very much and consider the performances a worthy alternative to Schwarz's, even if I'm more prone to listen to the latter due to the more modern sound quality. I really do wish some fiery young conductor and major American orchestra would embark on a new Hanson cycle in state-of-the-art sound, but no one seems to be taking interest...

[kyjo]

Excellent posts, Kyle !

Thank you!

[kyjo]

It's 6 o'clock somewhere!

What a great coupling! Two colorful and absorbing 6th symphonies.

[kyjo]

At first I had underestimated his 1st symphony. Now my impressions are much more positive. It's a charming, light and even tuneful piece. Nevertheless, it's the 2nd symphony the star of the disc. Much more ambitious in scope, brilliantly orchestrated, with plenty of drive and strong themes. Exciting to say the least. IIRC Bowen composed other 2 more symphonies, but they are lost (?). I'd pay to hear them.

Good to see another Bowen fan here! I haven't listened to the 1st Symphony yet, but the 2nd is a superb work with great tunes and echoes of Elgar and Rachmaninoff. According to Wikipedia, his 3rd symphony is lost and the 4th was left incomplete.