What are you listening to now?

[NJ Joe]

[Ken B]

What is that like? Only Rorem I have are symphonies.

[Ken B]

Britten, Quartet 1, Endellion Qt, from the so far splendid Warner box of Britten chamber music.

[Todd]

[Wakefield]

Arrived this afternoon from France:



CD1: Avent & Temps de Noël

Jacques Amadé isn't a name frequently mentioned here by our experts in organ music. On the contrary, when he has been mentioned two of them  (Marc and Premont) haven't been particularly enthusiastic about him. I found my own reaction was a bit different. Since the very first pieces heard via Spotify, I felt a sort of spiritual affinity with Amadé. His interpretations are not that introverted as Lagacé or so clearly uplifting as Stockmeier, but he seems to have a fair amount of moderation and control that I thank a lot. I will see if this impression is confirmed in the long term. Apparently, a good selection of beautiful organs was made and the sound quality is crystal clear.

The box is solid and beautiful, including a minimal 15-page booklet (supplemented by a PDF added as a track of CD1).

[Ken B]

Disc 24 of the splendid Markovina box.

I cannot keep up. I have too much wonderful stuff!

[listener]

Trumpet (s) - concertos etc from the Italian Baroque period
ALBERTI, ALBINONI, VIVALDI: TORELLI, FRANCESCHINI, BONONCINI..
John Wallace and John Miller, trumpets       
Philharmonia Orch.    Christopher Warren-Green, cond.
WALTON:  Façade Suite - original chamber vesion   NEILSEN: Serenata in vano
SCRIABIN: Waltz in Ab op. 38  transcr. Eliot
R. STRAUSS: Til Eulenspiegel   for chamber ens.  arr. Hasenöhrl (Asses' ear) - surely a pseudonym, maybe for Strauss himself?
Chicago Pro Musica

[Que]

.[asin]B001D7T34I[/asin]

Four suites named April to July from Graupner's 1722 Damstadt cycle Montatliche Clavir Früchte.

Q

[Harry]

Another resounding success by the Gothic Voices...

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2014/05/pierre-de-la-rue-1452-1518-missa-de.html?spref=tw

[Moonfish]

CPE Bach: The Complete Works for Piano Solo    Markovina 

Rerun (because it is sooo good and because I want Ken to get to 26 first    ) -
CD 23 from:

[asin] B00IGJP0Q6[/asin]


Borodin: Symphony No 2   L'Orchestre de la Suiss Romande/Ansermet

[asin] B001E1BNVY[/asin]

from this new set that arrived from Italy today. This is going to be a great summer! 
[asin] B00J498SOI[/asin]

[Harry]

Second rerun. Still wonderful.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2014/05/new-acquisition-estampies-danses_14.html?spref=tw

[NJ Joe]

What is that like? Only Rorem I have are symphonies.

What?? You're asking me to describe what something is like??    (I'm not very good at that).

I heard it on the radio and was immediately captivated, so much that I promptly bought it.  It is scored for violin, clarinet, and piano in three movements.

It has the quality of being nostalgic, but not boring, and there's no doubt it's a 20th century work.  It held my interest throughout, and I couldn't wait to find out the composer.

I was not at all familiar with Rorem, but now I'm eager to hear more of his work.

[Mookalafalas]

I think I remember some people here dismissing this as "histrionic" or some such.  Anyway, works for me I think it's excellent
[asin]B005HS5RYO[/asin]

[Harry]

Some fabulous ballet music. New Acquisition.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2014/05/arnell-richard-1917-2009-ballet-music.html?spref=tw

[Ken B]

I think I remember some people here dismissing this as "histrionic" or some such.  Anyway, works for me I think it's excellent
[asin]B005HS5RYO[/asin]

One disc, $13? Who are you and what have you done to Baklavaboy?

Thread duty Britten solo cello sonata 1, Matt Haimovitz

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

It has the quality of being nostalgic, but not boring, and there's no doubt it's a 20th century work.  It held my interest throughout, and I couldn't wait to find out the composer.

Yours is a fine and accurate way to describe it.  End of Summer (and Rorem in general) should be played and heard more IMNSHO!  Much of Rorem is like a wine-powered conversation between Honegger, Poulenc, Stravinsky and Rorem himself; it's witty and intense and usually poetic.  Sometimes the conversation concerns purely musical topics.  At times, his music becomes a playground, full of fun, experimental and experiential, but frequently the themes are intimate, surprisingly so, about lost love, seemingly, and thoughts, sensations and longings wistfully recollected, sometimes in tranquility, sometimes not.  One needs to be attentive to it - while mostly diatonic, Rorem's palette is complex, rich and varied.  His tenderness can approach Barber's at times.  That Naxos disc is a great one to have and a fine intro to him.  Rorem's songs are his greatest achievement (not unexpectedly as poetry is his thing) - there's 400 of them.  I  like his VC a lot. 

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

?!!!Boulez delenda est!!!?

Hey, Ken B - How can you not like a guy who invariably carries around a score with him to read?  BTW, I admire your new avatar.  It's a new CD that's puffing out his cheeks like that, isn't it?

[Ken B]

What?? You're asking me to describe what something is like??    (I'm not very good at that).

I heard it on the radio and was immediately captivated, so much that I promptly bought it.  It is scored for violin, clarinet, and piano in three movements.

It has the quality of being nostalgic, but not boring, and there's no doubt it's a 20th century work.  It held my interest throughout, and I couldn't wait to find out the composer.

I was not at all familiar with Rorem, but now I'm eager to hear more of his work.

This is my thread duty, courtesy YouTube. A really nice piece even with the live amateur recording acoustics. Need to add this to a shopping cart somewhere for future purchase.

[Ken B]

?!!!Boulez delenda est!!!?

Hey, Ken B - How can you not like a guy who invariably carries around a score with him to read?  BTW, I admire your new avatar.  It's a new CD that's puffing out his cheeks like that, isn't it?

Well Z7, any composer who believe in the necessity of 12 tone composition is USELESS! all French art of the modern era must be destroyed.



My new avatar is courtesy Moonfish. Look at my huge BRO purchase on the purchases thread ...

[Sergeant Rock]

Rorem Symphony No.3 (1958), Serebrier conducting the Bournemouth




Sarge