What are you listening to now?

[Brahmsian]

Love it. The opening reminds me of the Rheingold prelude. Listening to it again now.





Sarge

Wow, I will have to add this to the wishlist, along with a few other Penderecki recordings.  Love the Penderecki/Wit combination.

[Karl Henning]

Nice av, Ray!

[Brahmsian]

Nice av, Ray!

Bien merci, Karl! 

[jlaurson]

Is that you in the picture, Jens? Very cute.

It's how I look in the morning, before I've listened to Bach. 

[Mandryka]

I am not surprised that this is a good recording.  Andrew Parrott is one of my favorite directors, favoring single voices, and good singers.  I will try to find it.

When you posted that I thought I'd better listen again and I'm still convinced it's a very fine performance of a great piece of music. Hard to find, I got it through Amazon in the UK at the ASIN B0018XVSAY.

[Tsaraslondon]

Well I suppose we are now entering the silly season, so I can go back to CD10 in the Warner Schwarzkopf box. This was the original title for the gloriously over the top Christmas Album.

[Mandryka]

After the discussion here about Willaert last week I've been revisiting his music a bit. Part of the problem is that very little of his music is recorded twice, and so where something doesn't sound so special it's hard for me to know where the problem lies - with me, with the performance or with Willaert. Here on this album of motets by Henry's Eight we have, finally, a performance of something by Willaert where I think I can see what the fuss is about: it sounds fabulous.

It's called O Crux Splendidor. The text goes through a whole bunch of different positive emotions, some public (honour, splendour) some less so (love, sweetness), all tempered by a reflection at the heart of the poem of Christ's pain. I don't know how well Willaert paints these emotions with the music, because it's not easy for me to follow what exactly is being sung when (I don't have a score.) But I can hear that, by means of his harmonies Willaert is being very expressive indeed.

Henry's eight sing with unbelievable passion and life. It's hot: their ardour sets them apart. That's what IMO Willaert needs to get it off the page,  and that's what he doesn't always get.

I don't know if this motet is in the same style as the ones which Cinquacento and Singer Pur sing. I do know that Henry's Eight make Willaert sound like a composer who composed at least one very great piece of music.

[Brian]

You may want to consider Brendel and Lupu and Kovacevich and Pollini and Endres and Zacharias and Serkin, too.  Just sayin'.  (Maybe even Paul Lewis.  I've not heard his recording, but in person he was superb.)

(among recordings I already own,)
PBS, Endres, Lupu, A. Schiff, Richter...that sounds like a pretty good Saturday afternoon. 

[Tsaraslondon]

Karajan's superb 1960 recording of Sibelius's 5th with the Philharmonia Orchestra in top form.

[aligreto]

For years I only had the Gergiev version on Philips but a couple of years ago I bought the Previn version above and I must say that I prefer the Previn.

[Que]

Now I have to post my own preference...  
Unbeated IMO by either Gergiev, Previn or Dutoit (save for the excerpts by Mravinsky)



Q

[prémont]

When you posted that I thought I'd better listen again and I'm still convinced it's a very fine performance of a great piece of music. Hard to find, I got it through Amazon in the UK at the ASIN B0018XVSAY.

I have taken the chance and ordered it from Amazon.fr MP, ca 20 Euro´s.

[SimonNZ]

Janitsch: Sonate da chiesa e da camera - Epoca Barocca

[Que]

Janitsch: Sonate da chiesa e da camera - Epoca Barocca

An Epoca Barocca  issue I do not have!  How is it?

Q

[Sergeant Rock]

Lloyd Symphony No.6, the composer conducting the BBC Phil




Sarge

[SimonNZ]

An Epoca Barocca  issue I do not have!  How is it?

Q

The performance was superb, but still couldn't sufficiently elevate what was, imo, light and forgettable repertoire.

[mc ukrneal]

Now I have to post my own preference...  
Unbeated IMO by either Gergiev, Previn or Dutoit (save for the excerpts by Mravinsky)



Q

But have you heard the Mackerras or Ashkenazy? Both fine as well...

[aligreto]

But have you heard the Mackerras or Ashkenazy? Both fine as well...

Now I have to post my own preference...  
Unbeated IMO by either Gergiev, Previn or Dutoit (save for the excerpts by Mravinsky)



Q

Having only two versions namely Gergiev and Previn perhaps I should add a third, or fourth or................

[aligreto]

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 [Haitink]....





This is a wonderful, powerful performance with its magnificent, poignant, almost haunting Andante movement.

[The new erato]

Schmidt 4 by Mehta from this box that I somehow managed to buy for about £ 20 last winter:

[asin]B00M8PBQT4[/asin]