What are you listening to now?

[Cosi bel do]

Beethoven, quartets op. 18/4 & 59/3
Smetana Quartet (Westminster 1959)

These are the two first Beethoven recordings by the Smetana quartet, and I find regrettable that they didn't record the whole cycle at this period. It is one of the best recorded performances I know in these two works, and one of the warmest. Despite the really minor imprecisions, and what could be perceived as a lack of tension, this is a fantastic record !

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

I personally can't say I was very thrilled with Shaham's performance in Hartmann's Concerto, especially when my favorites are Schneiderhan/Kubelik and Faust/Poppen. I felt Shaham's interpretation was quite timid and even well-mannered compared to the afore mentioned performances.

Concur and I count myself a fan of his!; your observation applies equally well to other works in this set, at least of the ones I've heard.  Igor's does not work at all for me.     Too bad, it was a very good, very creative idea to group these VCs in this way.

[Ken B]

Ari Benjamin Meyers, Symphony X on Spotify

[Lisztianwagner]

Antonin Dvorak
Symphony No.7

[asin]B000UZ4ERK[/asin]

[Sergeant Rock]

Schoenberg String Quartet No.3 op.30 (1927) played by the Arditti Quartet




Sarge

[HIPster]

Baroque - Ensemble Amarillis
[asin]B000VZN7KE[/asin]
Hat tip to Gordo for pointing this one out to me recently!   

This 4 CD set comes in Naive's usual deluxe and very thick gatefold packaging, erm, uh, I mean, a flimsy "box" housing the 4 individual releases.  Still, these four discs are really excellent: beautifully recorded gems of the Baroque period.  This is my first encounter with the group Amarillis and they are wonderful! 


edit - Hi Sarge! 

[Mandryka]

Hagen Quartet play Mozart Dissonance. One dimensional, unambiguous, aggressive, tense. The instruments sound like a dentist's drill.

[Drasko]

.[asin]B00005N56Z[/asin]

[asin]B001HADE8W[/asin]

[Sergeant Rock]

Schoenberg String Quartet No.3 op.30 (1927) played by the Leipziger Streichquartett




Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

This symphony won the Bruckner Poll, and I honestly don't know if I've ever heard it before. So...

The poll results really surprised me. The First is my least favorite Bruckner symphony. I rarely listen to it.

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

Mark Gresham
Vagabond Drumming, Book IV (2012)
Isaac Anderson & Olivia Kieffer

http://www.youtube.com/v/Gei3t6bWeHg

[EigenUser]

Messiaen's Poemes Pour Mi. Why have I never heard this before?! Very Ascension-y.
[asin]B000001GYX[/asin]

[ritter]

From the Rosen box on Sony:



Franz Schubert: Piano sonata in A Major, op. post. (D. 959) - Charles Rosen (piano)

Boy, did Rosen have a large forehead!    ...and boy, Schubert's late piano sonatas are really something! 

[Lisztianwagner]

Antonin Dvorak
Slavonic Dances Op.46

[asin]B00000613Y[/asin]

[ritter]

And more piano music before heading to bed:

From this set:

George Enescu: Prélude et fugue (1903) - Christian Petrescu (piano)

A lttle gem that I hadn't listened to for years!

[Ken B]

Debussy, La Mer
Bernstein
Big box

[Brian]

Debussy, La Mer
Bernstein
Big box

One of the best recordings ever, so if you don't like that, the problem is clearly with the music you.

Surprised me too.  After the Nullte I'd have thought the 2nd would be the next obvious choice.  It has the loveliest of all Bruckner slow movements.  Bolt that into the Nullte and you'd have pretty much the perfect early Bruckner symphony.

I first-listened both 1 and 2 today. 1 starts off very strong, but the slow movement is plain; I can't say the adagio in 2 wowed me, but it was a huge improvement. The most surprising thing about 2 was how much of the orchestration, structural quirkiness, and just general Brucknerian pattern was already fully in place, only awaiting the great melodies and more concentrated emotions of 6-9.

[Ken B]

One of the best recordings ever, so if you don't like that, the problem is clearly with the music you.

You must remember, I have all the classic La Mers. I am hip deep in La Mer. I judge by Munch and Monteux etc. i have heard every famous La Mer there is.

That said, this seemed a good one. Parts were interesting. 

I have heard 22 discs now. For fun I put them in goups, A, B, C, D, self explanatory. 8 A, 11 B, 3 C. None in D, but one comes close.  (la Mer B).
Not bad!

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Debussy, La Mer
Bernstein
Big box

I am very proud of you!!

[jfdrex]

Plans for this evening's listening have been thrown into disarray by the arrival of this earlier today, courtesy of an inter-library loan:

[asin]B0000012Y1[/asin]

(Was curious to hear the Prelude, just to hear how the recording sounded...  and before I knew it, I'd wasted over an hour listening to the whole of Act I. Although "wasted" is hardly the right word.)