What are you listening to now?

[Mirror Image]

Interesting--I listened to that very same performance last night, for the first time.  I found the first movement somewhat disappointing: in spite of a nicely balanced tempo, it somehow seemed a bit too soft and diffuse for my tastes in that movement.  However, beginning with the first "night music" section, I began to understand what the fuss was about: it was lushly mysterious and involving, possibly the best performance (for my tastes) out of about a half dozen I have heard of this symphony for movements 2-5.

Things kind of start slowly in this performance, but the beauty is in the ongoing development, which you pointed out. I would say both Nachtmusik sections were superbly handled. I also like Abbado's earlier 7th with the CSO a lot as well. My other favorite 7th is with Rattle/CBSO. I also like Neumann's on Berlin Classics. This is a hard symphony to get right. It's an odd work, but I think it contains some of Mahler's most haunting, completely subdued music he ever put to paper. Recently, the 3rd has opened up for me in a huge way and this may be my favorite Mahler symphony at the moment.

[HIPster]

Ordered the day the Maestro passes away - arrived yesterday. . .

On a first listen now:
[asin]B000063WRS[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Ordered the day the Maestro passes away - arrived yesterday. . .

On a first listen now:
[asin]B000063WRS[/asin]

Sweet! I own this recording as well, but I haven't listened to it yet. What do you do think of it so far?

[NorthNYMark]

Things kind of start slowly in this performance, but the beauty is in the ongoing development, which you pointed out. I would say both Nachtmusik sections were superbly handled. I also like Abbado's earlier 7th with the CSO a lot as well. My other favorite 7th is with Rattle/CBSO. I also like Neumann's on Berlin Classics. This is a hard symphony to get right. It's an odd work, but I think it contains some of Mahler's most haunting, completely subdued music he ever put to paper. Recently, the 3rd has opened up for me in a huge way and this may be my favorite Mahler symphony at the moment.

I will have to check out the Neumann and the earlier Abbado--thanks.  So far, the 7th is probably my favorite of Mahler's symphonies (I love the haunting baritone horn theme of the first movement, as well as the atmospherics of the nachtmusik), though I have yet to hear the 9th in its entirety, so that may change.  My favorite renditions at this point have been the 1960s Bernstein, the Sinopoli, and the Boulez; I was less impressed with the Rattle (for some reason, what I've heard of Rattle's conducting in general strikes me as vibrant-sounding but somewhat episodic and detached, as though he records each section of the score separately, though I haven't heard enough of him to confirm that initial impression).  I'm curious, though, as to what you enjoy about the Rattle. 

Regarding the 7th symphony in general, I sometimes wonder why it is so often described as "difficult."  I've read Jens' discussion of this issue on his blog, but still don't quite get what is "hard to understand" about its structure, which strikes me as being almost perfectly symmetrical.

[Mirror Image]

I will have to check out the Neumann and the earlier Abbado--thanks.  So far, the 7th is probably my favorite of Mahler's symphonies (I love the haunting baritone horn theme of the first movement, as well as the atmospherics of the nachtmusik), though I have yet to hear the 9th in its entirety, so that may change.  My favorite renditions at this point have been the 1960s Bernstein, the Sinopoli, and the Boulez; I was less impressed with the Rattle (for some reason, what I've heard of Rattle's conducting in general strikes me as vibrant-sounding but somewhat episodic and detached, as though he records each section of the score separately, though I haven't heard enough of him to confirm that initial impression).  I'm curious, though, as to what you enjoy about the Rattle. 

Regarding the 7th symphony in general, I sometimes wonder why it is so often described as "difficult."  I've read Jens' discussion of this issue on his blog, but still don't quite get what is "hard to understand" about its structure, which strikes me as being almost perfectly symmetrical.

I find that Rattle's performance is perfectly nuanced and captures the spirit of that symphony. Of course, in general, he's a detail-oriented conductor and he's not one of my favorite Mahler conductors by any stretch, but his performance of the 7th has always been a positive experience. The Bernstein and Boulez are very good indeed. I'm less impressed with Sinopoli, but I'm not too fond of his conducting in general anyway, so this is probably nothing more than personal bias rearing it's ugly head here.

I don't think the 7th is difficult at all, but it does take some time to appreciate it I think or at least this was the case for me. It wasn't one of those instant 'lightbulb moments,' it took me several listens. The same applies to the 3rd. I never liked the 8th and still consider it one of Mahler's worst symphonies. The 1st and 4th are lighter in comparison with the others and I love both of these. The 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th are prime Mahler for me and I'm sure for many others. But it's the 5th and 7th that remain absolute favorites.

[Mandryka]

Pierre Hantai plays BWV 680, F major from WTC 2. Dark serious emotions in the prelude - like in his second recording of the Goldbergs. The fugue is a pretty wild peasants' dance, still marked by intensity and seriousness. Is this the only WTC2 that Hantai has recorded?




Daniel Chorzempa plays BWV 680. Such frankness, such eloquence, in the prelude, it's really disarming and beautiful. A magic moment when the music (seems to) modulate from F major briefly. Interestingly, the fugue becomes freer as it moves towards the end. I love this one.




Leon Berben punctuates the prelude of BWV 680 with sforzandi which sometimes verge in the brutal. I know that sounds terrible, but I found myself really moved by what he does - I can't say why, but it has something to do with the combination of a ravishing melody in one voice and the hammer blows in another. This is something to investigate. His fugue is like a glass of champagne.



Evgeny Koroliov. I could imagine him playing the prelude at the American cocktail bar in The Savoy Hotel. It's easy listening, sentimental and full of tricksy little voice leading ideas which make you go "wow".  Nice and joyful in the fugue.

[NorthNYMark]

I find that Rattle's performance is perfectly nuanced and captures the spirit of that symphony. Of course, in general, he's a detail-oriented conductor and he's not one of my favorite Mahler conductors by any stretch, but his performance of the 7th has always been a positive experience. The Bernstein and Boulez are very good indeed. I'm less impressed with Sinopoli, but I'm not too fond of his conducting in general anyway, so this is probably nothing more than personal bias rearing it's ugly head here.

I don't think the 7th is difficult at all, but it does take some time to appreciate it I think or at least this was the case for me. It wasn't one of those instant 'lightbulb moments,' it took me several listens. The same applies to the 3rd. I never liked the 8th and still consider it one of Mahler's worst symphonies. The 1st and 4th are lighter in comparison with the others and I love both of these. The 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th are prime Mahler for me and I'm sure for many others. But it's the 5th and 7th that remain absolute favorites.

Interesting how our experiences differ in key ways while being similar in the overall scheme.  For me, the 7th was the immediate "lightbulb moment."  My first experiences with Mahler were the Solti 8th and the DG Bernstein 1st (both from the megaboxes that provided my initial introduction to the classical repertoire), and neither of those did much for me. Then, I heard a live version of the 2nd from Nagano and the Montreal Symphony.  It was very enjoyable throughout, but didn't leave much of a lasting impression beyond a kind of sprawling, "everything but the kitchen sink" sense of (over)abundance. The next Mahler I heard was the Columbia Bernstein 7th, and it grabbed me by the lapels from the first notes (I wonder why that baritone horn isn't used more often)--that is what got me interested in exploring more Mahler.  Now, I also admire the 3rd, 4th, and 5th symphonies, find the 1st mildly enjoyable, and still have difficulty with the 8th and the 6th (whose martial first movement I find so completely unengaging that I'm hesitant to continue listening).  I haven't had the chance to really sit down with the 9th yet.  I recently heard Walter's 1960 Das Lied and loved it immediately (which is rare for me in a vocal work).

[Sadko]

Mussorgsky

A night on the bald mountain
The destruction of Sennacherib
Salammbô, chorus of the priestesses
Oedipus in Athens, Chorus of the people in the temple
Joshua
Pictures at an exhibition

Berliner Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado

[asin]B0000012VG[/asin]

[HIPster]

Sweet! I own this recording as well, but I haven't listened to it yet. What do you do think of it so far?

[asin]B000063WRS[/asin]

I find it to be sublime in all respects, MI!  Very moving listening experience for me right at the moment. . .

Worth your time when you get a chance to listen to it.

[Mirror Image]

Interesting how our experiences differ in key ways while being similar in the overall scheme.  For me, the 7th was the immediate "lightbulb moment."  My first experiences with Mahler were the Solti 8th and the DG Bernstein 1st (both from the megaboxes that provided my initial introduction to the classical repertoire), and neither of those did much for me. Then, I heard a live version of the 2nd from Nagano and the Montreal Symphony.  It was very enjoyable throughout, but didn't leave much of a lasting impression beyond a kind of sprawling, "everything but the kitchen sink" sense of (over)abundance. The next Mahler I heard was the Columbia Bernstein 7th, and it grabbed me by the lapels from the first notes (I wonder why that baritone horn isn't used more often)--that is what got me interested in exploring more Mahler.  Now, I also admire the 3rd, 4th, and 5th symphonies, find the 1st mildly enjoyable, and still have difficulty with the 8th and the 6th (whose martial first movement I find so completely unengaging that I'm hesitant to continue listening).  I haven't had the chance to really sit down with the 9th yet.  I recently heard Walter's 1960 Das Lied and loved it immediately (which is rare for me in a vocal work).

Mahler's 2nd was a instant gratification for me. I heard Bernstein's earlier performance on Columbia and that was it for me. I was completely hooked from start to finish. It seemed like Bernstein understood the hot/cold nature of Mahler's music and it this emotional temperament came so natural to him. Perhaps Bernstein saw a lot of himself in Mahler? Who knows. Anyway, I'm yet to explore Mahler's vocal works, but did enjoy a performance of Song of the Earth several years ago (perhaps it was a Boulez performance...can't remember). The 6th is fantastic from start to finish IMHO. That slow movement is especially moving.

Anyway, yes, we're all different in our experiences and I'm quite proud of it.

[Mirror Image]

[asin]B000063WRS[/asin]

I find it to be sublime in all respects, MI!  Very moving listening experience for me right at the moment. . .

Worth your time when you get a chance to listen to it.

Cool, thanks for the feedback. Might listen to this one tonight.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 4. Exhilarating performance!

[prémont]

Pierre Hantai plays BWV 680, F major from WTC 2. Dark serious emotions in the prelude - like in his second recording of the Goldbergs. The fugue is a pretty wild peasants' dance, still marked by intensity and seriousness. Is this the only WTC2 that Hantai has recorded?

Daniel Chorzempa plays BWV 680. Such frankness, such eloquence, in the prelude, it's really disarming and beautiful. A magic moment when the music (seems to) modulate from F major briefly. Interestingly, the fugue becomes freer as it moves towards the end. I love this one.

Leon Berben punctuates the prelude of BWV 680 with sforzandi which sometimes verge in the brutal. I know that sounds terrible, but I found myself really moved by what he does - I can't say why, but it has something to do with the combination of a ravishing melody in one voice and the hammer blows in another. This is something to investigate. His fugue is like a glass of champagne.

Evgeny Koroliov. I could imagine him playing the prelude at the American cocktail bar in The Savoy Hotel. It's easy listening, sentimental and full of tricksy little voice leading ideas which make you go "wow".  Nice and joyful in the fugue.

Thanks for your many imaginative and inspiring comments to your listening. Concerning the music I know, I always find your words very well put, also when I - what only happens rarely - do not agree with you.

As to this post, I do not know Koroliov´s version, but your description is so evocative, that I almost can hear him in my mind.

Hantaï hasn´t  to my knowledge recorded more WTC II than this.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Kaba Kabanova. Gorgeous music.

[North Star]

Prokofiev
Symphony No. 6
Ozawa & BPO
[asin]B00004SA89[/asin]

[Lisztianwagner]

Arnold Schoenberg
A Survivor from Warsaw

http://www.youtube.com/v/-CFnJiElpks

[Willow Pattern]

Glass: How Now

Listening to selections from the Piano Works set (really enjoying this one!) and the Music in 12 parts. I also listened to the Alsop Disc last night and want to play it again this morning:

[Todd]

[Mirror Image]

Arnold Schoenberg
A Survivor from Warsaw

http://www.youtube.com/v/-CFnJiElpks

An eerie, haunting work, Ilaria. I'm curious, what Schoenberg recordings do you own?

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Just finishing up Symphony No. 4. In my estimate, Aho may be the best post-Shostakovich composer alive today or should I say Shostakovich-influenced composer? Schnittke and Weinberg were two obvious other ones as would be Boris Tchaikovsky another good example.