What are you listening to now?

[Sadko]

The Tsars Bride

Kirov forces
Velery Gergiev

[ASIN]B004I4HCT6[/ASIN]

This is my first listening to this set, and it is not a promising one. I think now I can name why I almost never liked Gergiev's recordings: He is a terrible bore. Tempi are so slow sometimes, one can fall asleep. And what I find worse: There is no sense of direction in the music. He is one of these conductors where I have the feeling that the notes are bubbling endlessly out of a simmering pot, no tension, no aim. The voices are "ok", none of them a beauty. That might not be a problem with a firy, dramatic performance, but here it just adds to the uninterestingness of the endeavour. Even the recording isn't very nice, I'm almost missing a "de-esser" filter sometimes.

How can so many of you enjoy it, even praise it? Am I from a different planet? I guess I am

[Tom 1960]

Disc 60

[Madiel]

Almost everyone seems to disagree with me.

Including the composer in this specific instance.

I would have thought the colours he can pull out of a piano are far more amazing, given the nature of the instrument, than the colours he can pull out of an orchestra.

[Ken B]

Now some music from the Great White North:



Listening to Forsyth's Atayoshewin Suite. Beautiful work.

Indeed. Forsyth gets played a lot in Canada.

I read your review of Vine on Azon and strongly disagree on an important point. Audiences are not stodgy and overly reverential of old music. If you look back, as I've pointed out several times, at what orchestras played in the 50s you will see that there was quite an appetite for new music. Then Boulez and crew, as well as Stockhausen and his acolytes, made modern music an ordeal for most people. The institutional avant-garde actively worked to suppress music of popular appeal. New music became a worry point rather than a point of interest, and not because audiences heading overly reverential view of Mozart. Audiences learned to be gun shy of anything modern. How would you feel plumping big bucks for a ticket and babysitters and transportation and a whole evening to hear something like Gruppen?
But that there is a clear demand for accessible modern music is shown by the success of Adams and Glass, and before them even of John Williams. These are very famous men these days, they appear on magazine covers. Minimalism rescued classical music.

[Ken B]

Almost everyone seems to disagree with me, but I think that this is far more effective as an orchestral piece, as pianistic as it is. The "sea" effect is so much stronger with the orchestrated arpeggios. When I listen to the piano version in contrast (which I do like), it seems like ripples in a muddy puddle rather than tidal waves tossing a ship around like a toy.

Let's rumble! Didn't you have a quote from Brahms about offending everyone? Well if there are any fans of Ravel I have not offended yet, I'm about to rectify that! Fortunately an audio lecture illustrating exactly my complaint has already been prepared, saving me the trouble. http://youtu.be/Y5kT_Z4nmq8

Now let's consider some of Ravel's best pieces. The piano Concerto for two hands, the quartet,  D&C, Gaspard.
They are largely immune from this criticism. But then let's consider many others: barque, or the quintessential Ravel piece Bolero, or the orchestrations of various piano suites. Pictures at an exhibition. These are all nice pieces, but they fit the lecturer's example.

I don't ask you to agree with me, but I think you have to admit that there is some justice in the criticism.

Mind you, I have other complaints.

[EigenUser]

Including the composer in this specific instance.

I would have thought the colours he can pull out of a piano are far more amazing, given the nature of the instrument, than the colours he can pull out of an orchestra.

Yes, after the orchestration was premiered Ravel never had it published and never included it in his list of works. As for my opinion, I chalk it up to a greater personal interest in orchestral music than in chamber/piano music. So of course I'm biased when I like orchestrations  . One of my dreams this past year has been to orchestrate Bartok's 3rd String Quartet. Though, it'd likely be far too tedious for me to ever accomplish in the near future (if ever). Probably for the better, too, as people tend to get really touchy about arranging things that have been composed recently.

[milk]

I'm enjoying this at the moment. I don't see any mention of this work on this site.
[asin]B004P96WHM[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Now:



A new acquisition. Listening to The Maiden and Death. Very nice so far.

[Mirror Image]

Indeed. Forsyth gets played a lot in Canada.

I like Harry Somers a lot as well, although he's not as consistent as Forsyth, but his music does offer a glimpse of that bitter cold that Canada experiences every year.

[Madiel]

When I listen to the piano version in contrast (which I do like), it seems like ripples in a muddy puddle rather than tidal waves tossing a ship around like a toy.

I just paid more attention to this sentence. Where does it say, exactly that Ravel's intention was to depict tidal waves tossing a ship around?  It's called a boat on the ocean. The size of the boat is not specified, nor are the weather conditions. 

[EigenUser]

New thread:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,23008.0.html

[EigenUser]

I just paid more attention to this sentence. Where does it say, exactly that Ravel's intention was to depict tidal waves tossing a ship around?  It's called a boat on the ocean. The size of the boat is not specified, nor are the weather conditions. 

Sorry to be a wiseguy  0:). I did have an edition of the score from the library where Ravel's marking was kept in the music and translated as a footnote "Accents like the waves of a stormy sea".

Unfortunately, this is the best I could do for now: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/15206/Abramovitch_Ruti_2012.pdf?sequence=1

See page 19.

[Bogey]

Of course it's good.

[listener]

Saturday night listening
DELIBES: Coppélia   complete
Slovak Radio S.O. (Bratislava)     Andrew Mogrelia, cond.

[Mirror Image]

Turned the Skalkottas off..just not in the mood tonight at all.

Now playing:



Listening to Symphony No. 5. A nice 40 minute wallow. Really cleanses the soul. Heartfelt music.

[Ken B]

Going big

[asin]B00000G4OH[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Going big

[asin]B00000G4OH[/asin]

Nice! Is this the second time you've listened to this work, Ken? What do you think about it?

[Ken B]

Nice! Is this the second time you've listened to this work, Ken? What do you think about it?

Third time this CD, and heard the BIS online.
I like it a lot. It's not a marvel of structure but it has endless invention. It also has ever shifting moods and the transitions feel natural, it's not "oh time for a change". I recall someone describing the Weber Metamorphoses as "hindemith in a happy mood spouts music." Fits.
Added : splendid sound and performance. Those Finns, they understand tropical music. 

[Mirror Image]

Third time this CD, and heard the BIS online.
I like it a lot. It's not a marvel of structure but it has endless invention. It also has ever shifting moods and the transitions feel natural, it's not "oh time for a change". I recall someone describing the Weber Metamorphoses as "hindemith in a happy mood spouts music." Fits.
Added : splendid sound and performance. Those Finns, they understand tropical music. 

Glad you have been enjoying it. It is a plethora of melodic invention, but that's VL for you. When he's inspired, there's just so much information to take in that it becomes almost stratospheric. BTW, I love the Ortiz performance on BIS, but haven't heard the Gothoni performance in quite some time. I recall enjoying the Ortiz much more.

[Ken B]

Glad you have been enjoying it. It is a plethora of melodic invention, but that's VL for you. When he's inspired, there's just so much information to take in that it becomes almost stratospheric. BTW, I love the Ortiz performance on BIS, but haven't heard the Gothoni performance in quite some time. I recall enjoying the Ortiz much more.

Interesting. I got one of the Bis BB discs, 7,8,9 and agree with you the Naxos is better. This seems a minority opinion, but it's like with the Barber. We both seem to like a heartful committed performance even with raw edges over technical perfection if it lacks the commitment. Something that I have always noticed about my preferences.
Of course both is nice!