What are you listening to now?

[Ken B]

Stravinsky, Symphony in C, Gibson on Chandos, a new arrival.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



A new acquisition. Listening to Barber's Prayers of Kierkegaard. Sublime!

[DavidW]

My carousel was stolen. I tried to live with a single discer. I could not. I bought a new one.
Some of us got boxes to chew through! You need good tools.

You're like "man! if only I didn't have to get up once an hour.  I used to have it all, but they've taken it away from me!  Now I have to get up and change the cd like a lowly commoner!"

Actually come to think of it I am missing out.  I used to have a cd player that used a cartridge that contained six cds.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to New England Triptych. A fine work and performance.

[listener]

DUTILLEUX: L'arbre des songes  (Tree of Dreams)
MAXWELL DAVIES: Violin Concerto*
Isaac Stern, violin
Orchestre National de France    Lorin Maazel
*Royal Philharmonic Orch.,   Previn, cond.
BLOCH:  Suites for Solo Cello 1, 2 & 3
Méditation hébraïque   Jewish Life nº. 1-3,  Nirvana    Nigun
Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello     Pascal Amoyal, piano
Physically an oddity in my collection, the playing surface is a shiny black one.

[kishnevi]

Physically an oddity in my collection, the playing surface is a shiny black one.

Harmonia Mundi redid that series; the CDs are made to look like old style LPs.  Decca/Philips also did it with their "Original" series of reissues, and I think Sony also had a similar series.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to the Piano Concerto. Absolutely first-rate work and performance.

[Todd]

[Ken B]

Carlos Chavez, Symphony 1
An old friend From vinyl days.

[amw]

Harmonia Mundi redid that series; the CDs are made to look like old style LPs.  Decca/Philips also did it with their "Original" series of reissues, and I think Sony also had a similar series.

Plus those DG ones with the weird drop shadow effect, if i recall correctly.

[Ken B]

First listen to a part of Glass's Symphony 9.
Holy crap. I have been a bit skeptical about a lot of his music the past few years, maybe 8 or 10, but ... Holy crap.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to A Pastoral Symphony. Gorgeous of course.

[Octave]

Physically an oddity in my collection, the playing surface is a shiny black one.

I agree with Que on this: it is a pity that a quality label like HM would make the packaging of its Musique d'Abord series so cheap.  I guess I don't much like the cardboard 'sleeve', which seems like no protection at all for the disc, in fact seems to score the playing surface even with careful removal.  Same with the hatART discs for a long time now.
I want the old HM/MdB ~hybrid digipacks back!  By comprison with the present volumes, those were a suit of armor.

Dvořák:
Symphony No. 8
The Noon Witch (Polednice), symphonic poem
Suite for orchestra in A major
RCO/Harnoncourt
Inspired to say the least! Harnoncourt and the RCO are really making this a very enjoyable experience.

Nick is the shit!  I have had some good luck with Dvorak, but these few discs of symphonies/poems really made me sit up.  I cannot wait to get my ears on his SLAVONIC DANCES.

Back to this after some time away, this past couple of days:


Arthur Rubinstein: COMPLETE ALBUM COLLECTION (Sony)
Discs 21-29.

I liked it all, maybe especially the Beethoven ARCHDUKE and the Faure Piano Quartet 1.
EDIT: and the Brahms Trio 1...stout and heady.

[Moonfish]

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6  Boston SO/Monteux



Haydn:
String Quartet No.79 in D major Op.76-5 (Hob.Iii-79)
String Quartet No.77 in C major "Emperor" Op.76-3 (Hob.Iii-77)
String Quartet No.78 in B flat major "Sunrise" Op.76-4 
Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet

I think very highly of this quartet at this point in time. Solid rich performances over and over. The Westminster label truly put out some gems....

[Que]

[asin]B004FWZ5KY[/asin]

Q

PS Though I love the set, beware that there is a production error in the 1st disc.

[Que]

I'm working through this box 5 discs at a time (I have a Carousel CD player). I'm on vol. 20 "Handel Organ Concertos" by Ton Koopman.  I'm very happy with everything, but this disc is particularly delightful. 

You hit the jackpot there! Great music, the performance to go for IMO. But...is there just one disc with these concertos?  there should be two THREE....

(That's what I hate about these box sets...)

Q

[Octave]

Re: Loeki Stardust:

PS Though I love the set, beware that there is a production error in the 1st disc.

This drives me crazy!  I keep almost buying this and then remembering the warning about the Newton Classics set.  It's like you are saying, "Look but don't touch." 

Re: Handel/OrganCtos/Koopman

You hit the jackpot there! Great music, the performance to go for IMO. But...is there just one disc with these concertos?  there should be two....
(That's what I hate about these box sets...)

Unless these are different recordings, I think there should be three discs, as included in the collection I have:

[asin]B001PK3M2C[/asin]

[Moonfish]

Re: Handel/OrganCtos/Koopman
Unless these are different recordings, I think there should be three discs, as included in the collection I have:
[asin]B001PK3M2C[/asin]

Yes, there is just one disc in the Erato box. Sad how the companies split up these recordings (I feel similar for highlights/excerpts from operas). However, that Handel box looks intriguing..... and Scott Ross as well.... hmmmm....   

How do you think these Organ Concertos compare with the competition?

[Moonfish]

Back to this after some time away, this past couple of days:


Arthur Rubinstein: COMPLETE ALBUM COLLECTION (Sony)
Discs 21-29.

No wonder you needed a break! Only 115 to go!!   
I always get distracted when I try to listen to such a collection - after all, a lifetime of an artist's accomplishment, but it is fascinating to follow the trajectory of a life.   I got Rubinstein's autobiography a couple of weeks ago (planning to dwell on his life further), but (of course) got distracted by life.   Hmm, any specific gems in the first 30 in your opinion?

[Octave]

How do you think these Organ Concertos compare with the competition?

Yes, often the megaboxes are maddeningly megasamplerish.  The LUMIERES box thankfully includes a number of great whole recordings (operas, that jammin' Herreweghe Beethoven 9, etc), but truncates other discs that now I must have, cf. Rene Jacobs Mozart symphs, a great disc of Beethoven piano trios, etc etc etc.

I wish I could be more help to you re: the Handel organ concertos, I only have a Hyperion 2cd of Paul Nicholson w/Roy Goodman (ASIN: B00095L91A) and older recordings by George Malcolm with Marriner; I think I like the Koopman best of these.  Included in that black box I linked above are three really nice discs of harpsichord music, esp. the two discs by Scott Ross.  If you only have one disc of overlap with that set, I think it's a no-brainer.  I imagine Warner will re-re-reissue the whole lot of those Handel boxes just as soon as I finish collecting them....

One nice thing about the short length of most of the Rubinstein "original album" CDs is that you can sneak one into your listening regime with minimal guilt, unless your kids are clamoring for food.  Those early Chopin (and other things) recordings in the first ~14 discs are great...I did not even mind the primitive sound, the transfers were so clean, once you get used to the frisson of crackle up top.