What are you listening to now?

[kishnevi]

Yep, I knew of this one. I wonder how the remastered sound is on this reissue? I'm certainly happy with my issue which came in the Chandos Milestones box set.

Sounded fine to me, but I don't usually pay attention to sound quality unless there is an obvious flaw or obvious excellence.

[Brian]

About half of this divine (pun?) recital by Michel Block.



I've recently been kind of obsessed with "Benediction..." Blame Herbert Schuch.

[Brian]

Jansen does intensity pretty well, of course, but I'm actually most impressed by the Maintz/Thedéen combo.

With the Prazak Quartet recording of the Schubert quintet being reissued soon, have you ever gotten to listen to that? I'm very excited to.

Jens Peter Maintz, Maxim Rysanov, and Boris Brovtsyn are all on the superb new Arensky chamber music CD (Naxos) with a very starry cast - Alexander Sitkovetsky and Eldar Nebolsin are also in there...

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Stokowski's performance of Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44 yet again. Outstanding.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Now:



Listening to Job, A Masque for Dancing. Awesome work and performance.

Awesome Job.

I especially love how powerfully Hickox does "A Vision of Satan." The timpani, the horns, and the organ come in so hard that it really is like shafts of blinding light gleaming off of the pre-lapsarian Satan in all of his celestial, warrior glory.

The organ is more powerfully-'engineered' on the EMI/Handley performance- but the ferocity of the attack on the Hickox is unrivaled.

[Mirror Image]

Awesome Job.

I especially love how powerfully Hickox does "A Vision of Satan." The timpani, the horns, and the organ come in so hard that it really is like shafts of blinding light gleaming off of the pre-lapsarian Satan in all of his celestial, warrior glory.

The organ is more powerfully-'engineered' on the EMI/Handley performance- but the ferocity of the attack on the Hickox is unrivaled.

It's certainly a magnificent performance and a favorite of mine. The first minute and a half of the movement Job's Dream remain, for me, some of the most subtle, simple yet exquisite music I've ever heard and no one can touch Hickox here IMHO. I've heard and own them all.

In other news, have you heard Stokowski's Rach 3rd? It certainly demands your attention.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Now:



Listening to Stokowski's performance of Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44 yet again. Outstanding.

Stokowski plays parts of the second movement with a much faster rubato than I'm accustomed to hearing- and Svetlanov on Warner takes it a bit slower than others- but both Stokowski and Svetlanov do it more beautifully than I've heard anywhere else, as different as they interpretatively are.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

It's certainly a magnificent performance and a favorite of mine. The first minute and a half of the movement Job's Dream remain, for me, some of the most subtle, simple yet exquisite music I've ever heard and no one can touch Hickox here IMHO. I've heard and own them all.

In other news, have you heard Stokowski's Rach 3rd? It certainly demands your attention.

Well, cheers to that: I've heard all of the RVW Jobs too- at least I believe I have; and I have quite a few of them.

For my time and aesthetic involvement though, my favorite first movement is done by Barry Wordsworth with the Philharmonia on Collins Classics. His caressing of the strings elicits some of the most beautiful sounds I've heard in Vaughan Williams.

The Hickox is my overall favorite though.

<Clink.>

[Mirror Image]

Stokowski plays parts of the second movement with a much faster rubato than I'm accustomed to hearing- and Svetlanov on Warner takes it a bit slower than others- but both Stokowski and Svetlanov do it more beautifully than I've heard anywhere else, as different as they interpretatively are.

Didn't know Svetlanov recorded Rach's 3rd on Warner. I thought it was on Melodiya? Anyway, yes, Stokowski has some quicker tempi here and there, but I don't think any less of the performance of course. This is a Rach 3rd for the ages. I wonder if others here who are fans of this symphony have heard Stokowski's performance? Would definitely like to hear from some others here feel as strongly about this performance as I do.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Didn't know Svetlanov recorded Rach's 3rd on Warner. I thought it was on Melodiya? Anyway, yes, Stokowski has some quicker tempi here and there, but I don't think any less of the performance of course. This is a Rach 3rd for the ages. I wonder if others here who are fans of this symphony have heard Stokowski's performance? Would definitely like to hear from some others here feel as strongly about this performance as I do.

Svetlanov the Slayer did both a Melodiya Rachmaninov Third Symphony and an outstandingly-engineered Canyon Classics one (now subsumed to Warner Classics).

[Mirror Image]

Well, cheers to that: I've heard all of the RVW Jobs too- at least I believe I have; and I have quite a few of them.

For my time and aesthetic involvement though, my favorite first movement is done by Barry Wordsworth with the Philharmonia on Collins Classics. His caressing of the strings elicits some of the most beautiful sounds I've heard in Vaughan Williams.

The Hickox is my overall favorite though.

<Clink.>

Yes, Wordsworth is pretty good, but Hickox really nails the work for me and I have a hard time shaking impressions of his Job, but Hickox's wasn't the first Job I heard that honor goes to Boult's last recording of the work on EMI (another solid performance).

Just for fun, what are your 'Top 5 Favorite RVW Works'?

[Mirror Image]

Svetlanov the Slayer did both a Melodiya Rachmaninov Third Symphony and an outstandingly-engineered Canyon Classics one (now subsumed to Warner Classics).

Thanks, I didn't know about the Canyon Classics recording. I'll look into this.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Yes, Wordsworth is pretty good, but Hickox really nails the work for me and I have a hard time shaking impressions of his Job, but Hickox's wasn't the first Job I heard that honor goes to Boult's last recording of the work on EMI (another solid performance).

Just for fun, what are your 'Top 5 Favorite RVW Works'?

You know how terrible I am at these tests, John.

Well, I'll try my blonde-best to come up with 'only five'- and in no particular order, since the works are emotionally so incommensurate to me:

- A Sea Symphony

- A London Symphony

-  Fifth Symphony

- Sinfonia Antarctica

- Hodie and Epithalamion cantadas

(See, I counted to six and you told me to count to five.)

And you?

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Thanks, I didn't know about the Canyon Classics recording. I'll look into this.

If you get the box set of all three Svetlanov Warner Rachmaninov symphonies, I really hope you hear his Second- which is my all time favorite performance..

He plays the very ending like its Strauss in Heldenleben mode.

OV-ER-'WHELM'-ING.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

One of my favourite English[-born, is now based in my own city of Melbourne, Australia] composers: Chris Dench and his highly imaginative and unique soundworld of scintillating timbres contrasting with dark and brooding characters in works such as Beyond Status Geometry for percussion quartet. As 'new complex' compositions go, it is typically a very difficult work, and was considered unplayable for about eight years after its composition until the local group Speak Percussion managed to perform and record it for this disc. There are three other pieces on this disc as well for different groups of instruments. It's well worth checking out for those who already like music by composers such as Dillon and Ferneyhough.

[Mirror Image]

If you get the box set of all three Svetlanov Warner Rachmaninov symphonies, I really hope you hear his Second- which is my all time favorite performance..

He plays the very ending like its Strauss in Heldenleben mode.

OV-ER-'WHELM'-ING.

Thanks for pointing towards this set. It is available as a Japanese import on the Exton label. (See 'Latest Purchases' thread).

[Mirror Image]

You know how terrible I am at these tests, John.

Well, I'll try my blonde-best to come up with 'only five'- and in no particular order, since the works are emotionally so incommensurate to me:

- A Sea Symphony

- A London Symphony

-  Fifth Symphony

- Sinfonia Antarctica

- Hodie and Epithalamion cantadas

(See, I counted to six and you told me to count to five.)

And you?

All nice works certainly, but I don't know Epithalamion and I barely know Hodie. Should definitely consider listening to these works again at some point. My 'Top 5' would look like this (in no particular order):

Symphony No. 8
Flos Campi
Job, A Masque for Dancing
The Lark Ascending
Partita for Double String Orchestra

All of these works have special meaning to me and have meant a lot to me through the years. It has only been in the last year or so that Symphony No. 8 made it's lasting impression on me. An underrated symphony in RVW's symphonic cycle IMHO.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Thanks for pointing towards this set. It is available as a Japanese import on the Exton label. (See 'Latest Purchases' thread).

Thanks for that, John.

Funnily, a fried of mine has the Exton incarnation and I have the earlier Canyon one.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

All nice works certainly, but I don't know Epithalamion and I barely know Hodie. Should definitely consider listening to these works again at some point. My 'Top 5' would look like this (in no particular order):

Symphony No. 8
Flos Campi
Job, A Masque for Dancing
The Lark Ascending
Partita for Double String Orchestra

All of these works have special meaning to me and have meant a lot to me through the years. It has only been in the last year or so that Symphony No. 8 made it's lasting impression on me. An underrated symphony in RVW's symphonic cycle IMHO.

Gorgeous.

Gorgeous.

Gorgeous.

Thumbs-up.

[Mirror Image]

Thanks for that, John.

Funnily, a friend of mine has the Exton incarnation and I have the earlier Canyon one.

The Exton looks like it's been 24-bit remastered. Anxious to hear how it sounds, but, of course, the performances are the most important thing.

Gorgeous.

Gorgeous.

Gorgeous.

Thumbs-up.