What are you listening to now?

[Todd]

Odd question: how's the sound?

Pretty good, if not exceptional, much like the playing.

[listener]

New today at Sikoras, all 20^th century  (Glass is actually  2008, but...)
GLASS: Violin Sonata   KANCHELI: Time - and Again   TÜÜR: Conversio
all for violin and piano
Andrea Cortesi, violin     Marco Venturi, piano
As good as recommended by Harry.   If the Glass seems mechanical, remember Tüür is human.
Choral music for Chrstmas by SVIRIDOV, SCHNITTKE and TCHESNOKOV
Les Métaboles    Leo Warynsky, cond.
and left over from Friday:  John FOULDS: Puppet Ballet Suite, Saint Joan Suite, Hippolytus Prelude
Lento and Scherzetto for Cello and Orch.
B.B.C. Concert Orch.   Ronald Corp, cond.

[Mirror Image]

Okay, I had enough Messiaen for awhile....

Now:





Ravishingly beautiful work. I actually wrote a review for it on Amazon:

John Luther Adams, born in Meridian, MS, is a composer that has made his home in Fairbanks, Alaska since the mid-70s. Upon making his home in Alaska, he has been an integral part of this state's artistic and environmental causes. These landscapes, and the surroundings in general, have deeply affected Adams' music. There's even a book written by Adams titled "Winter Music: Composing The North" if this is any indication to what his music seems to invoke. With this new recording of the Pulitzer Prize winning "Become Ocean," the listener is reminded yet again that the natural world is something that has continuously kept Adams' mind occupied. As another review pointed out, the precursor to "Become Ocean" is the chamber orchestral work "Become River." Adams actually stopped composing "Ocean" to work on "River." I have not heard "Become River" unfortunately, so I can't speak how one work has led into the other. Hopefully, an enterprising label like Cantaloupe will record this work as well.

The sound-world of "Become Ocean" is pretty much everything the title suggests: it's vast, textured, hypnotic, and ultimately engulfing. This isn't to say, however, that the work floats gently by without any kind of rhyme or reason. There are several crescendos in the work that, like a powerful tidal wave, can completely drown you. It's hard for me to categorize this kind of music because I think any kind of label you put on it does it an injustice of some kind. JLA is constantly being categorized as a 'Minimalist,' but, again, this is trying to restrict his art and put it into some kind of bubble. His music is, in my opinion, an idiom unto itself and after hearing "Become Ocean," I'm sure you'll come away with some kind of appreciation for what he's achieved here.

The sound quality is superb and the performance from the Seattle Symphony under Ludovic Morlot couldn't be any more compelling. In fact, I would wager that if another recording of this work is ever released, it won't match Morlot's performance. All of the nuances and attention to detail is in this performance.

The only negative I have doesn't even pertain to the music but rather the presentation of the music. The digipack it comes in overall design, while containing beautiful artwork and nice booklet, is quite flawed. It's hard to take the discs in and out of the pack as it's simply too tight and I wish they would have went with either a standard jewel case or at least make some kind of CD tray where there's a way to hold the CDs in place so you can get them out easier. Other than this, it's a nice package.

All of this said, I'll leave you with a quote from the composer himself (which is found on the inside of the digipack):

"Life on this earth first emerged from the sea. Today, as the polar ice melts and sea level rises, we humans face the prospect that we may once again, quite literally, become ocean."

[Moonfish]

This evening:

Rachmaninov: Symphony No 3
Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances

Royal Liverpool PO/Mackerras

Mackerras is somewhat new to me. His recordings do not get discussed much here. Why is that? An echo from the past?
Regardless, I drifted into the aural landscape of the third symphony with ease. It seems complex in its richness of melodies weaving in and out or is that my imagination (or the wine?)?




Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Bruch: Violin Concerto No 1
Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No 3

Francescatti/New York Philharmonic/Mitropoulos

Fantastic! I very much enjoy Francescatti's performances. I have not listened much to Bruch and was quite impressed with his first violin concerto. It was something about the pulse in the music that very much appealed to me. Mendelssohn is of course pure gold.

[Mirror Image]

Mackerras is somewhat new to me. His recordings do not get discussed much here. Why is that?

I suppose a lot of it, at least for me, has to do with his repertoire. I don't listen to Janacek all that much or Dvorak for that matter. I think he's a great conductor, but I just don't have enough interest in what he has conducted to mention him on a more regular basis.

[amw]

Schoenberg, String Quartet "1897", Leipzig Quartet

[asin]B00001W091[/asin]

They bring the fin-de-siècle Vienna sound, despite being from someplace in east Germany. It's a very attractive performance of Schoenberg's only good composition.

[Que]

Morning listening:



Q

[otare]

I am playing through this box now:



At CD 10 now - Shostakovich and Kabalevsky. The opening of the Shostakovich is played a little too jolly for my taste. I'm missing the slightly sad quality that I seem to hear mixed with the jollity in other readings of this score. But so far I have enjoyed the CDs greatly. I like playing through these box sets from start to finish because it means that I will rehear war-horses that I have not heard for a long time, mixed with (sometimes) new discoveries. And it lets the box decide for me what to play, as I sometimes find it difficult to decide what to play next.

BTW: The cello is a marvelous instrument.

[king ubu]

That is such a wonderful set! And it sucks bigtime that Sony is not doing anything to keep his legacy available! Even to get his great Beethoven sonatas, I had to go the used/marketplace route! (The above set is, btw, included in the Masterworks Heritage box.)

The two sets on Music & Arts are very much worth your time as well, the red 3CD set a bit more so than the other I'd say. But really, there's so little around, I just need all of these!

[Moonfish]

I am playing through this box now:



At CD 10 now - Shostakovich and Kabalevsky. The opening of the Shostakovich is played a little too jolly for my taste. I'm missing the slightly sad quality that I seem to hear mixed with the jollity in other readings of this score. But so far I have enjoyed the CDs greatly. I like playing through these box sets from start to finish because it means that I will rehear war-horses that I have not heard for a long time, mixed with (sometimes) new discoveries. And it lets the box decide for me what to play, as I sometimes find it difficult to decide what to play next.

BTW: The cello is a marvelous instrument.

An ambitious project Otare as I recall that box being a behemoth!  The cello is indeed a wondrous instrument!

[otare]

Yes. 90 CDs - a lot of them quite unusual. Some of film music, some of them with non-classical performers. James Taylor (one of my favorites) participates on 2 of the CDs.

[Moonfish]

That is such a wonderful set! And it sucks bigtime that Sony is not doing anything to keep his legacy available! Even to get his great Beethoven sonatas, I had to go the used/marketplace route! (The above set is, btw, included in the Masterworks Heritage box.)

The two sets on Music & Arts are very much worth your time as well, the red 3CD set a bit more so than the other I'd say. But really, there's so little around, I just need all of these!

Thanks for pointing out the Music & Arts sets King Ubu.  It is sad that Francescatti has not been given the tribute he deserves. Perhaps Sony will see the light one of these days!   Have you heard any of the recordings released by Andromeda?

[asin] B008H2IIHU[/asin]

[ritter]

BTW, note to Ritter:  you are absolutely right about Meistersinger.  But I would not want to be without the great riot/fugue that comes at the end of Act II.

Very true...that is a masterful fragment as well (and then the watchman advising people "beware of ghosts and spooks, that no evil spirit ensnare your soul!" after the pandemonium. )...

I can sympathize with Paderewski's dictum: "the greatest work of genius ever achieved by any artist in any field of human endeavour" 

[EigenUser]

Well, since he's a major 20th Century composer (my favorite century for music btw), I started to feel that I shortchanged Messiaen. I'm happy to report that I'm loving what I've heard thus far. I really love the slow, mediative movements in Turangalila-Symphonie and that finale is a hoot! Chailly's performance is top-notch as far as detail is concerned, but I remember preferring Chung's over all the others I heard. Listening to Quartet for the End of Time now. What do you think about this work, Nate?

Is this question still valid now that Mr. Hyde has returned?

I haven't heard Trois Petites Liturgies in quite some time, but I'm definitely going to be revisiting it along with many other works. I haven't even explored the treasures in the 18 CD set simply titled the Messiaen Edition on Warner and now I have the massive DG set on its way. I'm definitely going to be trying to plow my way through a lot of this music.

I'm happy about your one-night-stand with Messiaen's music. Otherwise, I wouldn't know about the $80 box set. Might add to my Christmas list.

[Harry]

Cantata time....

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2014/12/new-acquisition-bach-js-cantatas-volume.html?spref=tw

[North Star]

I deduce from this statement the probability you have not heard Adam's Lament.

I haven't heard the album, but it's a fine piece, sure.

[Harry]

A neglected composer as there ever was!

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2014/12/goossens-eugene-1893-1962-orchestral.html?spref=tw

[Bogey]

Over the next few mornings:

[king ubu]

Thanks for pointing out the Music & Arts sets King Ubu.  It is sad that Francescatti has not been given the tribute he deserves. Perhaps Sony will see the light one of these days!   Have you heard any of the recordings released by Andromeda?

[asin] B008H2IIHU[/asin]

I try and stay away from such sets ... not sure about their origins and sonic quality. So no, I don't even know what's in it and if there's any overlap between this and the two M&A boxes (the 3CD one is multi-page digipack actually, but a booklet is included, the 4CD one with live/unreleased recordings is a box proper).

[Wanderer]

.[asin]B000NPCMHG[/asin][asin]B000000APC[/asin]