What are you listening to now?

[Henk]

Good stuff, Moonfish. Beat Gordo.

[Moonfish]

Good stuff, Moonfish. Beat Gordo.

[mc ukrneal]

Brahms, Johannes - Trios & Piano Quartets w/ the Leopold String Trio + M-A Hamelin and the Florestan Trio - both 2-CD sets packaged in single sized jewel boxes.  Dave

 

I could listen to these all the time...

[SonicMan46]

I could listen to these all the time...

Hi Neal - yep, Brahms chamber works are quite re-listenable!    Dave

[EigenUser]

Webern Lieder .. op. 3, 4, 8, 12

[asin]B000002707[/asin]

I just bought that set a few days ago. One of the few sets I own.

[listener]

Three generations of MOZART
Leopold M-  Sinfonia in G  (c.1753)  W.A.M- Symphony in G K.49 (1768) W.A..M.- Jr. Piano Quartet in g  (1802)
Vienna Tonkunstler Orch., Ernst Maerzendorfer, cond.

[Daverz]

On an Enescu jag.

Violin Sonata No. 3
[asin]B00004DTQT[/asin]

Impressions of Childhood; Chamber Symphony; Piano Quintet No 2
[asin]B001OUIIHC[/asin]

String Octet - Kremerata Baltica
[asin]B0000669X8[/asin]

[RebLem]

Since my last report, I have been listening to the following:

Shostakovich: Sym. 7 in C Major, Op. 60 "Leningrad"  (1941) (73:35)--Oleg Caetani, cond., Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi.  Rec. live  Auditorium di Milano, Italy, DEC 2000.

First of all, I must say something you already know if you have seen my reviews of other performances of this work:  I like this symphony a lot more than most people do.  Certainly, I am not as contemptuous of it as Bartok was.  And this is one of the great performances of this work.  The first movement is usually performed in one of two ways.  In one, perhaps best exemplified by Leonard Bernstein's two recordings, the march tha begins about five minutes into the movement, describing the beginning days of the German invasion, is jaunty and pleasant; people are hoping to be liberated from Stalin.  But they soon realize that these people are even worse than Stalin, and it hits  everyone as a sudden, blinding epiphany.  In the other type, exemplified by Kondrashin and Maxim Shostakovich, it becomes a gradually dawning realization; hopes fade reluctantly, but it becomes evident that the Germans are definitely not interested in liberation.  Caetani's performance is of this latter type, which seems to be gaining in popularity these days.  The third movement is achingly lyrical, and they symphony ends triumphantly.  This is a live recording and that fact is suddenly realized at the end with boisterous applause.  In all these recordings so far, the applause comes as a surprise because the quietude of the audience until then is almost superhuman.  And, this is extraordinarily well recorded as well.

Vol. 39 of the 72 Volume (some with multiple CDs) set of the complete Toscanini RCA recordings, and I am working backward, so you know I have 38 volumes left to go.  On this single CD are NBC Symphony performances from 1945-1953, mostly of short pieces that usually go as either the first work on a program or as encores and the very end.

Tr. 1-3......Ravel: Daphnis & Chloe: Suite 2 (3 Mvts) (16:09), rec. 21 NOV 1949 in CH.
Tr. 4.........Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (10:11), rec. 19 MAR 1950, Studio 8H.
Tr. 5.........Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre, Op. 40 (7:29), rec. 1 JUN 1950, Studio 8H.
Tr. 6.........Berlioz: Le Carnaval romain Oueverture, Op. 9 (8:31), rec. 19 JAN 1953, CH
Tr. 7.........Franck: Psyche: Psyche et Eros (8:37), rec. 7 JAN 1952, CH.
Tr. 8.........Berlioz: Romeo & Juliette, Op. 17: Sherzo: La reine Mab (8:12), rec. 10 NOV 1951, CH.
Tr. 9.........Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust: Rakoczy March (4:09), rec. 2 SEP 1948, Studio 8H.
Tr. 10.......Thomas: Mignon Overture (8:26), rec. 29 JUL 1952, CH.

Most of these works are blockbuster crowd pleasers which often appear on the programs of crossover style pops concerts.  If you are looking for profundity, you are not likely to find it here.  If you want pieces that make you squirm in your set and make you want to get up and march or dance around the room, this is a CD for you!

[Que]

My listening this Sunday morning started off with the 3rd disc of this set:

[asin]B00006RHQJ[/asin]
I'm really impressed by Purcell here! 



Now switched to an old favourite - CPE Bach's Magnificat.



Those of you that would prefer a more modern recording, that improves on sonics and intonation and possibly matches in dedication, I would refer to Hans Christoph Rademannnew recording on Carus.

But this pioneering HIP recording has incredible fervour, and it has Elly Ameling.... (In CPE's Magnificat, not the one by JS -  which has aged less wel)

Q

[The new erato]

A great disc:

[asin]B000001GPW[/asin]

[EigenUser]

A great disc:

[asin]B000001GPW[/asin]

I love the rendition of the 2nd PC on here. Among the best I've heard (and I've seen it performed live twice).

However, I do think that the outer movements of the 1st PC are problematic (orchestra, not piano solo). But, the 2nd movement of the 1st PC is one of the best I've heard, too.

[Que]

More Early Neapolitan harpsichord music: 

[asin]B00005YTJA[/asin]

Q

[Wakefield]

[mc ukrneal]

If you want pieces that make you squirm in your set and make you want to get up and march or dance around the room, this is a CD for you!

That sounds like fun!

[Cosi bel do]

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Boston SO, Georges Prêtre, 1969



This version is great fun. I checked and it wasn't in the past blind comparison, I'm wondering why (except the remastering is atrocious). Not everything is perfefct here but there's all the spirit Berlioz needs at least.

[Sergeant Rock]

Shostakovich String Quartet No.2 A major op.68 played by the Zapolski Quartet




Sarge

[Florestan]

More Early Neapolitan harpsichord music: 

[asin]B00005YTJA[/asin]

Q

This one looks particularly interesting. Your thoughts, please?

[Wakefield]

I saw this Chopin highly recommended by our member JaapT, some weeks ago:

[asin]B00BQXWHQK[/asin]
Chopin: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Yulianna Avdeeva, piano [Erard 1849]
Orchestra of the 18th Century
Frans Brüggen

My reasons to buy it were several: the unending searching for a fully satisfactory version of these concertos; a new version conducted by Brüggen and some degree of "completism", as I already have "The Real Chopin" set.

Well, I think it was a good decision because this version is quite different to the previous one recorded by Brüggen in the same collection.

The orchestra is now quite wild and the soloist takes full advantage (almost to the limit) of the possibilities of her Erard, playing it like in a rapture.

That said, the whole approach sounds more "modern" than HIP, but totally enjoyable. 

[Gurn Blanston]

Sunday AM; cold and nasty outside, warm and Beethoveny inside! 

[Sergeant Rock]

Janáček Symphonic Suite from Jenůfa, Honeck conducting the Pittsburgh




Sarge