What are you listening to now?

[TheGSMoeller]

Der Sommer, it just doesn't get any better than this...

[asin]B00GDJ9KAI[/asin]

[Madiel]

Will be interested to hear your report.

I've listened to all the works before, but when I bought the 6-volume set I listened to the works in chronological order rather than disc order (and intermixed with all the other things I bought at the same time).

Enter Spring is the only post-War work on volume 1, and it does show. As performed here it has real colour and verve, and a grand sweep.

I'm not sure any of the other pieces are on the same level, but they're by no means bad and worth hearing. Isabella is focused on creating a rather sweetly romantic atmosphere (although there's a bit of drama at the halfway mark), and the first of the 2 shorter Poems is deliberately all a gentle haze with distant horn calls. The second Poem is a bright little scherzo. Mid of the Night is Bridge's first symphonic poem and also the longest (26 minutes here, versus 18 for Enter Spring and Isabella). For something that had to wait 96 years between performances, it's fairly entertaining even if it is undoubtedly longer than it needed to be.

The recording is, to my ears, consistently top-notch. The richness and colour of Bridge's scoring comes across very well I think.

[Karl Henning]

I've listened to all the works before, but when I bought the 6-volume set I listened to the works in chronological order rather than disc order (and intermixed with all the other things I bought at the same time).

Enter Spring is the only post-War work on volume 1, and it does show. As performed here it has real colour and verve, and a grand sweep.

I'm not sure any of the other pieces are on the same level, but they're by no means bad and worth hearing. Isabella is focused on creating a rather sweetly romantic atmosphere (although there's a bit of drama at the halfway mark), and the first of the 2 shorter Poems is deliberately all a gentle haze with distant horn calls. The second Poem is a bright little scherzo. Mid of the Night is Bridge's first symphonic poem and also the longest (26 minutes here, versus 18 for Enter Spring and Isabella). For something that had to wait 96 years between performances, it's fairly entertaining even if it is undoubtedly longer than it needed to be.

The recording is, to my ears, consistently top-notch. The richness and colour of Bridge's scoring comes across very well I think.

Thank you.

[Madiel]

...and now I'm listening to Enter Spring again on its own. Yeah, there's no doubt this is the pick of the compositions. The control of structure and pacing is first class.

[Karl Henning]

Insipred by your post in the Dacha:

Дмитрий Дмитриевич [ Dmitri Dmitriyevich (Shostakovich) ]
The g# minor fugue from the Op.87
Mustonen

[Madiel]

Insipred by your post in the Dacha:

Дмитрий Дмитриевич [ Dmitri Dmitriyevich (Shostakovich) ]
The g# minor fugue from the Op.87
Mustonen

I've got Nikolayeva on Hyperion, and dammit, I'm going to have to listen to it as well now. But prelude and fugue together, as the fugue theme comes from a figure in the prelude.

Nikolayeva does fluff the fugue slightly, which reassures me that it's one of the harder ones in the set.

[Harry]

Will be interested to hear your report.

You may look on my blog Karl, I wrote extensive reviews about this fabulous box

[Karl Henning]

Cheers, Harry!

[Harry]

Cheers, Harry!

It was the first composer ever in my life from that time of which I enjoyed the vocal music contained in this box. And that was a major event for me.

[Madiel]

It's midnight, but of course I couldn't stop at only one op.87 prelude and fugue... numbers 15, 16 and 17 are on the stereo now. If I'm not careful I'm going to find myself going back to the beginning and spending 2.5 hours reaching the magnificent climax in number 24.

[Karl Henning]

It's midnight, but of course I couldn't stop at only one op.87 prelude and fugue... numbers 15, 16 and 17 are on the stereo now. If I'm not careful I'm going to find myself going back to the beginning and spending 2.5 hours reaching the magnificent climax in number 24.

I know!  Who could listen to just one prelude & fugue, right?

[Karl Henning]

It was the first composer ever in my life from that time of which I enjoyed the vocal music contained in this box. And that was a major event for me.

[Brian]

Some Johann Strauss on Naxos Music Library. Superbly played! But with the Vienna Symphony and Manfred Honeck, what did you expect?

[Sergeant Rock]

Haydn Symphony No.41 C major, Weil and Tafelmusik




Sarge

[SonicMan46]

Re-listening to some recent arrivals this fine morning - Shosty SQs up next w/ the Pacifica Quartet - Dave

 

[Brian]

Re-listening to some recent arrivals this fine morning - Shosty SQs up next w/ the Pacifica Quartet - Dave

Sounds like you're trying to cover every century!

[Karl Henning]

Haydn Symphony No.41 C major, Weil and Tafelmusik

Well, I feel silly for not noticing until now that this and the K.551 share tonality . . . .

[SonicMan46]

Sounds like you're trying to cover every century!

Hi Brian - LOL!  But, no problem for me going from Gregorian Chant to the Rite of Spring - in fact, I'm reading the book below on my iPad, so may have to put on some Stravinsky later -   Dave

[Sergeant Rock]

Well, I feel silly for not noticing until now that this and the K.551 share tonality . . . .

I wonder if Mozart felt the need to apologize like Bruckner did when he composed his Ninth in D minor 

Sarge

[bhodges]

Mieczysław Weinberg: String Quartet No. 1 (Quatuor Danel) - Wow, first time hearing and what a first quartet! There are a handful of "hm" moments, like the major chord that abruptly ends the first movement (of 3) but mostly, such sophisticated writing, vaguely echoing Shostakovich (whom Weinberg met). Quatuor Danel plays beautifully, and the sound is very clear and natural.

[asin]B00I9OFTQO[/asin]

--Bruce