What are you listening to now?

[aligreto]

That is a delightful recording! And an interesting musical form.

I have it in this reissue:

[asin]B0000APHO0[/asin]
My comments long time ago: 

Your eloquence did far more justice that I could have done to the recording Que. Vivaldi's Serenata a Tre is indeed a very interesting work and musical form. I agree totally with all that you have written. The work is of a high standard and Vivaldi was obviously serious about it. Warmly recommended for a listen for those who do not know it 

[SonicMan46]

What do you think of the Gardiner Schumann symphonies?  I haven't listened to them, but enjoyed his Brahms.

Hi San Antone - I enjoy the Gardiner performances w/ period instruments and practices; seems to garner some mixed opinions though, e.g. check HERE for three quite supportive reviews, but then a rather reserved one from Fanfare (see attached PDF - also includes a MusicWeb review of the Zinman recordings which the author seems to prefer).  The Gardiner set includes 3 discs w/ the original versions of the fourth symphony & the first 'unfinished' one; plus, the concerto for 4 horns which is marvelous - so quite a 'complete' package - at the moment, I'm listening to the David Zinman performances which I like as much and perhaps better.  I probably need to pick up a more MI set of these works, but these were composed back in the 1830-40s.  Dave

[NikF]

Prokofiev: Quintet in G minor

[asin]B000EQ5PN2[/asin]

[listener]

BRAHMS:  Ein Deutsches Requiem
Arleen Auger, Richard Stilwell  Atlanta S.O. & Chorus
Robert Shaw, cond.
MOZART: Mass in C- "Coronation"   K. 317
Agnes Giebel, Hilde Rössl-Majden, Herbert Hndt, Pierre Mollet
RAI Orch & Chrus, Turin   Mario Rossi, cond.
and early Mozart  Ascanio in Alba  K.111
Gertrude Jahn, Werner Krenn, Edith Gabry, Simone Mangelsdorff
Salzburg Mozarteum Orch.,  Salzburg Festival Chamber Choir   Leopold Hager, cond.

[Ken B]

What do you think of the Gardiner Schumann symphonies?  I haven't listened to them, but enjoyed his Brahms.

Outstanding, you'd really like them I think.

[Mandryka]

Andrés Cea plays some Cabezón. The subtitle is suavidad y extrañeza. I very much appreciate the suavidad bit, because sweetness is a quality often lacking in Cabezón organ recordings. And it's certainly a recording of oppositions, moving from dreamy to vigorous like a Schumann suite of dances, the vigour calling to mind Cabanilles and the sweetness  Foccroulle's Arauxo. I like the organ, which is, at least as Cea plays it, rather high and nicely acid. Suave and acid, like premier cru Sauternes. I'd say this is at the Uriol level of interest.

[Que]

Your eloquence did far more justice that I could have done to the recording Que. Vivaldi's Serenata a Tre is indeed a very interesting work and musical form. I agree totally with all that you have written. The work is of a high standard and Vivaldi was obviously serious about it. Warmly recommended for a listen for those who do not know it 

And thank you for bringing it up!   
A good reminder to revisit it, I would still consider amongst the best Vivaldi I know.

Q

[Todd]

Fazil Say's take on Mussorgsky, and Janacek, and Prokofiev.  More idiosyncratic, or eccentric, playing from Mr Say, but as is often the case, he manages to back up his ideas with rock solid playing and make it convincing.  Pictures is surprisingly intimate at times, but the more effective for it.  I could have lived with the string plucking in Il vecchio castello, but even that comes across as fun and inventive.  The playing is also big and bold at times, which was expected, and Say delivers there, too, like in the satisfyingly large-scale, extroverted Great Gate of Kiev.  The Janacek is perhaps the most intense version I've heard, (literally) grunted out, but it effectively conveys anger and anguish.  The Prokofiev Seventh Sonata is rough and intense and rather unsubtle, but displays plenty of surface excitement.  Overall, a very fine disc for those predisposed to Say's style. 

[Moonfish]

Debussy: Images pour orchestre               
Beethoven: Symphony No 8
JS Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
Berlioz: Overture Benvenuto Cellini       

San Francisco SO/Monteux 

[Moonfish]

Chausson: Poem of Love and the Sea         

French Art Songs                     

Gladys Swarthout/RCA Victor SO/Monteux 

Swarthout's voice was definitely enchanting. A first listen to the Chausson Poem.

[Artem]

I don't listen to Stravinsky very often but I found the Scherzo on that CD especially enjoyable, even thought as I understand it is regarded as a minor work. [asin]B00005M9HW[/asin]

Is there anything else like it?

[Mirror Image]

Now:



A new(er) acquisition. Listening to Seven Stars' Symphony for the first-time. Sounds very nice so far.

[Moonfish]

Beethoven: Symphony No 4         
Schumann: Symphony No 4                     

San Francisco SO/Monteux 

Monteuxing myself onwards....   0:)

[Mandryka]

Lindsay Quartet play Haydn op 50/4 live. I was at this concert, and I remember the way everyone in The Wigmore Hall was rapt by the intense uncomfortableness of the music, an effect the recording reproduces very well.

[Moonfish]

Sibelius:
Symphony No. 1
Symphony No. 4

Wiener Philharmoniker/Maazel

Digging into the Sibelius pile. Hmm, I liked these quite a bit more than Maazel's Pittsburgh renditions!

[asin] B0000041Z3[/asin]

[Moonfish]

Sibelius: Pelléas och Mélisande            Jakobsson/Lahti SO/Vänskä

This performance is addicting. A slow pace dominates the work, but its genuine warmth and intimacy definitely weaves a spell. A keeper!

[Camphy]

Symphonies 86 & 87



Piano Quartet no. 2

[NikF]

Brahms: Sextet in B-flat Major

[asin]B0000262GI[/asin]

During the second movement in particular Casals has a voice that seems so rich and almost earnest in what he's imparting. Also, when I hear such a performance I'm again glad I got over my hangup of about listening to classical music recorded in mono.

[Madiel]

Online, I'm giving Medtner's Violin Sonata No.3, Sonata Epica a go.

[asin]B00016UYA4[/asin]

[Brian]

New Wieniawski recording with the Violin Concerto No. 2.



To my surprise, the entire booklet is an advertisement for tourism in Lublin, Poland, written by the Lublin City Council! There's a full history of the city and a summary of "Historical Monuments and Tourist Attractions," with advice like "The table survives to this day and is available for viewing in the hall of the Lublin Museum."

I have no idea why they did this - there's not a single word about Wieniawski or the music - but it's funny. Also, the Lublin City Council can't stop bragging about how it ran for 2016 European Capital of Culture, which is sad, because they lost!