What are you listening to now?

[Mirror Image]

It reminds me of the really early Messiaen works like Les Offrandes Oubliees, Le Tombeau Replendissant, and Hymne au Saint-Sacrement.

But isn't it remarkable knowing that Koechlin was the link between Debussy and Messiaen? I think it is. You should definitely explore more of Koechlin's music.

[Todd]

The C minor.

[Madiel]

Ah, but the only new recording on this disc is Lemminkainen Suite, which Vanska has recorded previously for BIS. The Wood-Nymph is the same performance that was recorded many years prior to this issue, but just has been remastered.

That's not quite correct either. None of it is a new recording, but only some of it had been released before.

It is not the same Wood Nymph as on this recording:

[asin]B000025UVT[/asin]

But it is the same Wood Nymph and half the same Lemminkainen as on this recording:

[asin]B002YC22IA[/asin]

All of Lemminkainen was recorded at the time, but only 2 movements were released on that compilation.

[Mirror Image]

That's not quite correct either. None of it is a new recording, but only some of it had been released before.

It is not the same Wood Nymph as on this recording:

[asin]B000025UVT[/asin]

But it is the same Wood Nymph and half the same Lemminkainen as on this recording:

[asin]B002YC22IA[/asin]

All of Lemminkainen was recorded at the time, but only 2 movements were released on that compilation.

Ah, okay, so The Wood-Nymph is a completely new recording as well?!?!? Great to hear! I just assumed they used Vanska's older 1996 account, but it's awesome they performed it again. This makes this recording even more special. Thanks for the clarification.

[San Antone]

[Madiel]

Ah, okay, so The Wood-Nymph is a completely new recording as well?!?!? Great to hear! I just assumed they used Vanska's older 1996 account, but it's awesome they performed it again. This makes this recording even more special. Thanks for the clarification.

Well, what do you mean by "completely new"? The recordings are from 2006/7 (as set out in the liner notes), and the Wood Nymph was on that disc released in 2009.

If you mean "new" as in "not the one you've heard on that 1996 disc", then yes it's new, and yes Vanska recorded it a second time.

[San Antone]

The recording above is interesting from a historical point of view, but the sound is too brittle and is too difficult for my ears.  It is a shame Sony has not released a remastered version since in 1957 Lenya is still in good voice and she remains the best interpreter of her husband's music.

I decided to switch to Brigette Fassbaender's recording.



The work itself is interesting to me: a combination of ballet and vocal work for soprano and male chorus and small orchestra.  Fassbaender's is a more classical interpretation while Lenya's style is always cabaret.  I like both but hope Sony would do something with the earlier recording's sound.

[Mandryka]

I do not think Buxtehude´s non-choral organ works were meant to evoke religious feelings in the first hand. The fact that organs use to be situated in churches does not make all organ music religious. In these ears Buxtehude´s free organ works sound rather secular - like e.g. Bach´s organ trio sonatas. Yes, of course Buxtehude and Bach had their God in the background at any time, but this didn´t mean, that they could not write music intended primarily for secular purposes.

Yes, I see what you're saying. I shouldn't have said "an authentic performance will excite spiritual ideas in the listener."

I don't really know what the function of  preludes and toccatas were, and I expect that part of it was for civil events. But I also expect that they were played as people entered and left church for religious ceremonies. My anxiety about flashiness is that it's a sort of boasting, a boastful display of the performer's skills. And that feels wrong as a prelude or a postlude to a christian service.

Sorry to hear about your experiences with Mikkelsen's Boehm -- this second one is played on a neo baroque organ at the Danish church Husum. Was that where the first one was played?

[king ubu]

this one:

[asin]B00005ONMP[/asin]


from this one:

[asin]B00BN1QV0S[/asin]

I don't seem to have much use for pieces that get titles "Overture" usually, it seems ... that is, unless an opera is going to follow them  (okay, Abbado's Rossini overtures are wonderful!) - but the symphonies, I feel like I'm really starting to dig them, and these seem to be pretty great takes on 'em - rather on the dark side, heavier and moodier than the Sawallisch, at least that's how they sound to me.

[Mirror Image]

Well, what do you mean by "completely new"? The recordings are from 2006/7 (as set out in the liner notes), and the Wood Nymph was on that disc released in 2009.

If you mean "new" as in "not the one you've heard on that 1996 disc", then yes it's new, and yes Vanska recorded it a second time.

A completely new recording for me. Yes, you've already mentioned these were recordings from 2006-07. What I'm saying is I had no idea these works had been recorded again by Vanska.

[SonicMan46]

Rosetti, Antonio (1750-1792) - recent arrivals which has virtually doubled the number of discs in my collection of this composer - if you like 'windy' music from the classical period, then check out Tony R.!  Dave

   

   

[Que]

Rosetti, Antonio (1750-1792) - recent arrivals which has virtually doubled the number of discs in my collection of this composer - if you like 'windy' music from the classical period, then check out Tony R.!  Dave

I do like "windy" music, Dave, particularly on period instruments! 

I would appreciate some pointers after you have digested all that Rosetti?

Q

[Mandryka]

Nice! Coincidentally I have still a Gasparini disc unlistened on the pile.
Perhaps time to unwrap it....  

But first my regular dose of organ music, continuing the exploration of this set with the 2nd disc:

[asin]B00TAJ730W[/asin]
This set might raise some discussion, since Berben concludes that this music would have been performed with the ample use of ornamentation, and that is exactly the way he plays it..... After all, he is a Koopman pupil..

Suits me fine BTW, I love it.

Q

Have you heard Koopman's Sweelinck? It's light, fun. I didn't find it as inspiring as the big Dutch box.

I haven't heard this Berben set - it's expensive and in truth he's a musician who hasn't really grabbed me so far, but I intend to listen again to his Praetorius, CU3 and Byrd soon, and if I get turned on by any of it I may take a punt on the Sweelinck. I can't imagine that Berben is light and fun like his teacher!

Sweelinck is very well served on record.

[SonicMan46]

I do like "windy" music, Dave, particularly on period instruments! 

I would appreciate some pointers after you have digested all that Rosetti?

Hi Que - all of this music is a joy to hear to my ears at least - the CPO recordings, i.e. the bulk, are w/ modern instruments (i.e. horn players, Hübner on bassoon, Klöcker on clarinet, & Lencés on oboe) - but, the Amphion Wind Ensemble is a wonderful period group doing Partitas (basically wind octets); also on the way is the disc below w/ Compagnia di Punto, performing chamber works on period instruments - attached is a PDF file w/ reviews on both period groups and a review of the the horn works on modern instruments.  Dave

 

[Brian]

So I don't know if any of you guys like the double bass, but this is pretty fantastic:

[asin]B00U1GGI5E[/asin]
Nicholas Bayley is principal bassist of the BBC Scottish Symphony, formerly principal of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He arranges a Bloch piece himself, adds a great Piazzolla tune I'd never heard before, and bookends the recital with two biggies: a set of works by Reinhold Gliere written for Koussevitsky (and not sounding like Ilya Muromets!!), and a 29-minute sonata by Derek Bourgeois, which asks and then answers the question of what would've happened if Brahms/R. Strauss/Saint-Saens had written a double bass sonata.

Really fun stuff, highly recommended.

[RebLem]

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

From a 5 CD Music & Arts set, licensed from EMI, of the complete Symphonies of Beethoven by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Otto Klemperer at the Vienna Festival, May & June, 1960.  You may notice that some numbers are missing in my account of the tracks on these CDs.  That's because I chose to omit the separately delineated applause tracks.

CD 3
Tr. 1-4.....Sym. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60 (1806) (34'26)--rec. 31 May 1960.
Tr. 6-9.....Sym. 8 in F Major, Op. 93 (27'03)--rec. 4 June 1960.
Tr. 11.......Egmont Overture, Op. 84 (1810) (9'35)--rec. 31 May 1960
Tr. 13.......Overture to "The Creatures of Prometheus" (1801)(5'27)--rec. 2 June 1960

This 4th has long been one of my favorites.  It emphasizes the drama and rhythm of the work, and the sforzandi in the first movement stand out like hairs on a wire-haired dog.  Among my other favorites are Rene Liebowitz, who shares the same vision as Klemperer, and Monteux, who chooses to emphasize its melodic qualities.

I have written before that the 8th is usually performed as a parody of his other works, and that such interpretations are divided into two schools--those which make it sound like a bloated symphony, like Solti, and those, like Szell, which make it sound like a chamber ensemble straining at gnats.  Klemperer, I discovered, is having none of that.  He sees the 8th as a great Beethoven symphony in its own right, not as a parody of other works.  This is a very interesting approach.  I am not sure I agree with it, but I am sure I will be returning to this performance again.  I think it has the potential to become my favorite performance of the 8th.

The overtures are superbly performed as well, and I found the Creatures of Prometheus Overture especially arresting and impressive.


CD 6 of a 6 cpo set of the complete string quartets (17) of Moisei Vainberg (1919-1996) performed by the Quatuor Danel (Marc Danel, 1st vn, Gilles Millet, 2nd vn., Vlad Bogdanas, viola, and Guy Danel, cello).

Tr. 1-4.......String Quartet 2, Op. 3/145 (1940, rev. 1987) (26'30)
Tr. 5-8.......String Quartet 12, Op. 103 (1970) (31'28)
Tr. 9-12.....String Quartet 17, Op. 146 (1986) (16'30)

SQ 2--From the liner notes: "Stylistically, the SQ 2 falls into an historic line from Tchaikovsky's Seenade & Grieg's Holberg Suite to the more anguished, occasionally even brutal, manner of Bartok's Divertimento and Honegger's 2nd Symphony.  Given that it is these orchestral works that come to mind as affinities, rather than anything from the quartet repertoire, its no surprise that...[Vainberg] returned to the work nearly five decades later in 1987, revising the texture of the first movement, extensively recasting the later stages of the second, and adding a completely new Alleggretto--a wistful, muted movement that forms a bridge from the darkness of the slow movement to the extraversion of the finale.  This revision then underwent further changes in its orchestrated form as [Vainberg's] First Chamber Symphony.  Somewhat confusingly, both the revision of the quartet played here...and the Chamber Symphony were designated Op. 145."

I also suggest you read the review of this CD by Steve Arloff of Music Web International as reprinted @ ArkivMusic.com :
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=772405 

Janos Starker (1924-2013): "The Warner Legacy" , a 10 CD compilation of recordings featuring Janos Starker.  Warner Classics 0825646341252.

CD 1 (71'24)--rec. Abbey Road Studio 3

Tr. 1-6......Bach: Cello Suite 1 in G Major, S. 1007 (16'58)-- rec. 23 May 1958 & 1 Feb 1959 MONO
Tr. 7-12....Bach: Cello Suite 2 in D Minor, S. 1008 (12'31)-- rec. 20 March 1957 MONO
Tr. 13-18,,Bach: Cello Suite 3 in C Major, S. 1009 (18'30)-- rec. 22-23 May 1958 MONO
Tr. 19-24..Bach: Cello Suite 4 in E Flat Major, S. 1010 (18'01)-- rec. 9-10 June 1959 STEREO

CD 2 (72'14)--rec. Abbey Road Studio 3

Tr. 1-6......Bach: Cello Suite 5 in C Minor, S. 1011 (22'29)--rec. 29-30 August 1957 MONO.
Tr. 7-12....Bach: Cello Suite 6 in D Major, S. 1012 (21'35)--rec. 31 January-1 February 1959 STEREO
Tr. 13-15..Koday: Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8 (27'51)--rec. 4 October 1957 STEREO

"The Warner Legacy" designation is pure hype.  This whole set was recorded for EMI and Erato, not Warner, which didn't yet exist when most of these recordings, including all of the ones on this disc, were made.  The present performances were originally released on the Mercury label.  These recordings were made shortly after Starker left the Chicago Symphony to teach at the University of Indiana's Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, IN, where he lived for the rest of his life. 

These performances are certainly well-recorded, but they may be too closely miked.  Often, the cello sounds more like a double bass.  I got interested in tempos when listening to this set, because of the four sets of these works I own, Starker's performances are the fleetest in all but the first,  In three of the six, the same order applies: Starker is fastest, Queyras is second, Fournier third, and Rostropovich fourth.  And yet, when I listen selectively to excerpts from all of them, they don't sound all that different, and its difficult to pick a favorite.  Generally, though I prefer Queyras first, Fournier second, Starker third, and Rostropovich last.  But the differences are small, and you would do well with any of them.  Starker's, though, is the only one which is part of a larger collection and is available at a bargain price; that may influence your decision.

Suite #      Starker      Fournier   Queyras   Rostropovich   
1      17'01      18'45      16'12      16'12
2      17'33      19'04      18'50      21'15
3      18'33      23'04      20'36      23'46
4      18'04      25'28      22'40      24'46
5      22'31      24'51      23'23      26'57   
6      21'36      27'03      27'25      38'31

The Kodaly is definitely inspired by the Bach Cello Suites, but, of course, in a more modern idiom.

[prémont]

Sorry to hear about your experiences with Mikkelsen's Boehm -- this second one is played on a neo baroque organ at the Danish church Husum. Was that where the first one was played?

Vol.1 was recorded on the Marcussen organ, Løgumkloster, DK - an "all round" generic organ without much character. The Husum organ was also used for part of the Bruhns CD, and seems to me better suited for Böhm too.

[prémont]

Yes, I see what you're saying. I shouldn't have said "an authentic performance will excite spiritual ideas in the listener."

I don't really know what the function of  preludes and toccatas were, and I expect that part of it was for civil events. But I also expect that they were played as people entered and left church for religious ceremonies. My anxiety about flashiness is that it's a sort of boasting, a boastful display of the performer's skills. And that feels wrong as a prelude or a postlude to a christian service.

Let us forget the word "flashiness". I misunderstood the Word and got you wrong in the first hand, because I do not see Saorgin, Kraft or Spang-Hanssen as flashy in the correct sense of the word - not even compared to Vogel.

[Mandryka]

https://www.youtube.com/v/Seu9ju7g9u8

First listen to Ton Koopman playing Bach's 4th partita. I think it's absolutely charming. Bumpy, but there's forward motion all the time, so it flows. Bumpy flow -- there's an oxymoron.  Great range of expression, from joys of life to something else I can't find the word for, always noble, sometimes a bit introverted even. Is his expression drawing attention to the player, and away from the music, like Bradley Lehman said of his AoF? I can't answer that.

[prémont]

"The Warner Legacy" designation is pure hype.  This whole set was recorded for EMI and Erato, not Warner, which didn't yet exist when most of these recordings, including all of the ones on this disc, were made.  The present performances were originally released on the Mercury label. 

This is inaccurate. The Mercury set is another recording made 1963-65. All in all he recorded the suites 4½ times, the first set (for Saga) being incomplete.