What are you listening to now?

[Todd]

Momo Kodama's take on Vingt Regards.  Ms Kodama's playing is brilliant and colorful, and the SACD stereo sound from Triton is well-nigh perfect for such a close perspective recording, with spot-on timber and truly vast dynamic range.  I've heard no better sounding recording of the work.  That written, as enticing as much of the playing is, it often doesn't seem to delve much beneath the surface.  It's definitely very nice to have this, but it lacks the intensity and command of Peter Serkin's recording, or the deeply felt, personal touch of Eugeniusz Knapik's recording.

[listener]

ORNSTEIN: Piano Sonatas 4 & 7   6 shot pieces including A Morning in Woods, Impressions of the Thames and Suicide in an Airplane
Janice Weber, piano
BAX String Quartets 1 & 2
Maggini Quartet

[Wakefield]

Starting off the day with a recent acquisition ~
[asin]B00K1Q3UZ0[/asin]
When Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen died in 1728, his former Kapellmeister had not forgotten the five brilliant years he had spent in the prince's service. He wrote a cantata dedicated to his memory based on the music of two major works of the mid 1720s - the Trauer-Ode and the St. Matthew Passion. Although the score to the Kothener Trauermusik is lost, the wordbook and other sources of information have now made it possible to create a performing edition. In his first recording for harmonia mundi, Raphael Pichon leads the ensemble Pygmalion in a rediscovery of this little-known work.

As with their Bach recordings on the Alpha label, this is is a wonderful recording by the group Pygmalion.   

Congratulations, Dave! It's a wonderful recording, indeed. 

[Mandryka]

Wim van Beek plays Bohm. What a depressing day musically, listening to Bohm organ music. First Mikkelsen, then Stella, then Foccroulle. None of it bad, Foccroulle better than not bad, but all of it was leading me to think that Bohm isn't really my cup of tea.

Then I remembered this, dug it out, and it's like at a completely different level. Absolutely glorious. If Tuinstra's set a bit like this then I'll get it immediately.

[HIPster]

Congratulations, Dave! It's a wonderful recording, indeed. 

Hi Gordo!

Yes, wonderful performance.  Looking forward to giving it another spin soon.   

BTW, I realized that I need to order the Savall & co. Ortiz disc after your post the other day. . . 

Cheers!

[prémont]

Wim van Beek plays Bohm. What a depressing day musically, listening to Bohm organ music. First Mikkelsen, then Stella, then Foccroulle. None of it bad, Foccroulle better than not bad, but all of it was leading me to think that Bohm isn't really my cup of tea.

Then I remembered this, dug it out, and it's like at a completely different level. Absolutely glorious. If Tuinstra's set a bit like this then I'll get it immediately.

I agree, that van Beek is in his own league - a pity he hasn´t recorded that much.
Well, I also find Foccroulle´s Boehm very convincing, not least the Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten partita.
However my preferred recording of this particular partita is the recording of Flamme on CPO. His Boehm set is other than that unfortunately rather uneven.
Tuinstra´s Boehm set is also a bit uneven, but generally more solid than Flamme´s.

My first acquaintance with Boehm´s works was his harpsichord works, which maybe are more accessible and charming than a number of his organ works.. There are some fine recordings of his harpsichord suites: e.g. Leonhardt (Telefunken and Seon) and Alessandrini on Astrée. You might try these, before you immerse youself more into his organ works.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Tapiola. Twice in row. Awesome performance.

[Mandryka]

I agree, that van Beek is in his own league - a pity he hasn´t recorded that much.
Well, I also find Foccroulle´s Boehm very convincing, not least the Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten partita.
However my preferred recording of this particular partita is the recording of Flamme on CPO. His Boehm set is other than that unfortunately rather uneven.
Tuinstra´s Boehm set is also a bit uneven, but generally more solid than Flamme´s.

My first acquaintance with Boehm´s works was his harpsichord works, which maybe are more accessible and charming than a number of his organ works.. There are some fine recordings of his harpsichord suites: e.g. Leonhardt (Telefunken and Seon) and Alessandrini on Astrée. You might try these, before you immerse youself more into his organ works.

Yes  Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten from Foccroulle caught my attention, especially the registrations and the final variation. I'll listen to Flamme tomorrow.  I've just ordered Beek's CU3 -- easier now that groningsorgelland takes paypal!

[Todd]

Sub-par contemporary sound - distant and slightly opaque - slightly hinders a superb performance.  (Only very slightly.)  Chung leads a somewhat slow opening movement that builds to satisfying and powerful climaxes.  The second movement is a bit quicker, and just as potent.  The Rondo-Burleske, though, is breathlessly fast and intense in the fast sections.  I can't recall hearing anything quite like it.  The Seoul Philharmonic execute their leader's vision very well in what I must imagine were some exhausting sessions.  The great Adagio is a bit on the quick side at under 24 minutes, and Chung doesn't hold back, opening it a quicker than normal pace, and in a more intense than normal manner, and ratcheting up tension until the great climax.  Performance wise, this is one of the best new recordings I've heard in years.  I wish the sound was up to snuff.  It's better than Chung's take on the First, and makes me think I should try his Second.

[Wakefield]

-- easier now that groningsorgelland takes paypal!

Excellent news! 

[Marc]

[...] I've just ordered Beek's CU3 -- easier now that groningsorgelland takes paypal!

The Groningen Orgelland catalogue is beautiful. But all editions are limited. Many gems are already OOP, and reissues are not to be expected. Apparently, last year the final Bach / Piet Wiersma discs were sold. Like Van Beek, Wiersma was a true music maker, but now his musical legacy has virtually disappeared.

So get those Van Beek discs while you can!

[Artem]

First time listening. Can't say it grabbed me right away, except the final movement, which is very beautiful.

[asin]B002G1TS5E[/asin]

[Ken B]

Sibelius
Pohjola's Daughter
The Bard
LSO, Colin Davis

Not works I know very well.
A Hurwitzer CD form Hell. He calls it shameful.

[Mirror Image]

Sibelius
Pohjola's Daughter
The Bard
LSO, Colin Davis

Not works I know very well.
A Hurwitzer CD form Hell. He calls it shameful.

I don't know if I would call it 'shameful,' but I don't rate Colin Davis too highly as a Sibelian. I prefer the Finns (Berglund, Segerstam, Vanska, Salonen, Storgards, etc.), Bernstein, HvK, Ashkenazy, and I've been coming around to both of Maazel's cycles (Vienna PO and Pittsburgh SO).

[Ken B]

I don't know if I would call it 'shameful,' but I don't rate Colin Davis too highly as a Sibelian. I prefer the Finns (Berglund, Segerstam, Vanska, Salonen, Storgards, etc.), Bernstein, HvK, Ashkenazy, and I've been coming around to both of Maazel's cycles (Vienna PO and Pittsburgh SO).

I find Davis excellent. His third in this set is thest I know. This Pohjola is lovely. Maybe it needs a touch more rapture. My heart belongs to HvK in Sibelius, but I have Segerstam's Danish set and like it immensely. Those are my top two, and they are very different. Vanska is uniformly excellent. The Icelanders on Naxos are excellent because you can tell they are playing with commitment. Maazel's second set is cheap and tempts me.

[Mirror Image]

I find Davis excellent. His third in this set is thest I know. This Pohjola is lovely. Maybe it needs a touch more rapture. My heart belongs to HvK in Sibelius, but I have Segerstam's Danish set and like it immensely. Those are my top two, and they are very different. Vanska is uniformly excellent. The Icelanders on Naxos are excellent because you can tell they are playing with commitment. Maazel's second set is cheap and tempts me.

As long as we all love the music of Sibelius, then, in the end, that's all that truly matters. Everything else (performances, recording quality) is pure subjectivity. Some people like Davis, some people do not. I do, however, like his LSO Live cycle, but really wished he hadn't felt the need to sing along with the music.

Thread duty -

Now:



Listening to Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104. Excellent performance. Listening to these through a pair of Audio Technica ATH-AD500X Audiophile Headphones as I'm giving my Seinnheiser HD 598s a rest. Currently, I have an offer in for some Seinnheiser HD 600s.

[NorthNYMark]

Just finished:
[asin]B008YMHORI[/asin]

After having recently gone gaga over the first Brahms cello sonata, as well as listening to a lot of both Debussy and Shostakovich over the past few months, the program here was intriguing. The Schumann was pretty, though it seemed a bit out of place here.  The other three compositions, which were also new to me except for the Brahms, were top notch (for my tastes).  I enjoyed the elegantly fluid performances, though my favorite for the Brahms remains the somewhat more severe Starker/Sebok performance on Mercury. I'm weighing whether or not to invest in the vinyl version.

[NorthNYMark]

Listening to Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104. Excellent performance. Listening to these through a pair of Audio Technica ATH-AD500X Audiophile Headphones as I'm giving my Seinnheiser HD 598s a rest. Currently, I have an offer in for some Seinnheiser HD 600s.

I suspect you'll enjoy those HD 600s.  That was my main headphone for around 7 years or so, a period during which I had no speaker system.  They are pretty well balanced, and thus work well with most styles of music and mastering. Some people find them a bit dry or laid-back in some contexts, but their (reltatively) neutral character and (relatively) wide "headstage" makes them especially very good all-rounders for most types of classical recordings.

[Mirror Image]

I suspect you'll enjoy those HD 600s.  That was my main headphone for around 7 years or so, a period during which I had no speaker system.  They are pretty well balanced, and thus work well with most styles of music and mastering. Some people find them a bit dry or laid-back in some contexts, but their (reltatively) neutral character and (relatively) wide "headstage" makes them especially very good all-rounders for most types of classical recordings.

Good to hear, NorthNYMark. I prefer open-back headphones to closed and have really been happy with my HD 598s, but I would like to sample another model in the HD series. The 650s look really nice as well, but I'm sure there's not a whole lot of difference between them and the 600s.

[NorthNYMark]

Good to hear, NorthNYMark. I prefer open-back headphones to closed and have really been happy with my HD 598s, but I would like to sample another model in the HD series. The 650s look really nice as well, but I'm sure there's not a whole lot of difference between them and the 600s.

I haven't heard the 650s (or the 598s, for that matter), but what I've read over the years from people who have heard both is that the 650s are similar to the 600s, but with more emphasis on the bass and lower mids.  Since I always found the 600s to be more than adequate in that department, I was never particularly tempted by the 650s. My sense (again, from reading others' impressions) is that the 600s offer a more balanced, neutral sound, which tends to be especially preferable for classical, IMHO.

My current headphones are the Audeze LCD2, which are wonderful,with remarkably deep bass and a remarkably liquid, almost grainless (though arguably somewhat recessed) midrange, but i would never get rid of my HD600s, which are really great all-rounders. as I said, I'd be surprised if you weren't pleased.