What are you listening to now?

[North Star]

Schumann
Liederkreis, Op. 39
Gerhaher & Huber
[asin]B00DYFCZ5Q[/asin]

[Harry]

Some very relaxing Flute concertos from the old authentic school, but well worth listening!

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2016/01/flute-concertos.html?spref=tw

[Tsaraslondon]

The recording quality might not be great (though much better here than its EMI incarnation), but the performance certainly is. First of all there is Callas in sovereign voice, a non pareil of a Lady Macbeth, and undoubtedly the greatest on disc (incredible to think this is the first time she had ever sung the role). Then there is Victor De Sabata, whose symphonic conception of the score lends it extraordinary depth. The rest may not be on the same exalted level, but Mascherini provides a persuasive portrait of an essentially weak man, easily led and swayed by his powerfully ambitious wife (Callas quite chilling in La luce langue). Tajo and Penno are also well in the picture as Banquo and Macduff.

In a performance such as this, crumbly sound or not, Macbeth lays claim to be one of Verdi's greatest scores.

[Wanderer]

.[asin]B006K70A6G[/asin]

[Maestro267]

Holst: The Hymn of Jesus
Choristers of St. Paul's Cathedral Choir, London Symphony Chorus
London PO/Groves

Brian: Symphony No. 11
NSO Ireland/Leaper

[Karl Henning]

Me, too:

Holst: The Hymn of Jesus
Choristers of St. Paul's Cathedral Choir, London Symphony Chorus
London PO/Groves

[Todd]

Starting the day off with something with a little pep.

[Karl Henning]

Again!

Wuorinen
Fast Fantasy (1977)
Fred Sherry, vc
The composer, pf

Because, it is one of the coolest vc/pf pieces I know 

[Brian]

I'm a little sad that I'm streaming this disc instead of buying, because sources have told me that the booklet notes are truly entertaining.



This Tchaikovsky concerto performance is, um, different.

[Wanderer]

.[asin]B000002A9E[/asin]

[Karl Henning]

This Tchaikovsky concerto performance is, um, different.

Enlarge upon this, I pray thee.

[Todd]

I'm a little sad that I'm streaming this disc instead of buying, because sources have told me that the booklet notes are truly entertaining.



This Tchaikovsky concerto performance is, um, different.

That's kind of why one listens to Ms Kopatchinskaja, is it not?

[Brian]

Enlarge upon this, I pray thee.

I'm only 7 minutes in, but can I expand it to "batshit insane"? This Tchaikovsky performance is batshit insane.

Patricia Kopatchinskaja does not compromise on her usual minimal-vibrato wiry acrobatic tone. In fact, she doubles down. The violin almost sounds like a toy instrument, especially with a clear and deliberate refusal to Go Romantic at any moment. She and Currentzis collaborate on dozens of one/two-bar tempo changes. The orchestra is actually borderline normal, with great clarity (love the French horns). Oh boy here comes the cadenza. Yeah Kopatchinskaja's violin is making donkey noises.

What the hell just...oh boy.

Just to be clear: I am having A BLAST listening to this. Hurwitz will give it a 1/10.

[king ubu]

I'm only 7 minutes in, but can I expand it to "batshit insane"? This Tchaikovsky performance is batshit insane.

Patricia Kopatchinskaja does not compromise on her usual minimal-vibrato wiry acrobatic tone. In fact, she doubles down. The violin almost sounds like a toy instrument, especially with a clear and deliberate refusal to Go Romantic at any moment. She and Currentzis collaborate on dozens of one/two-bar tempo changes. The orchestra is actually borderline normal, with great clarity (love the French horns). Oh boy here comes the cadenza. Yeah Kopatchinskaja's violin is making donkey noises.

What the hell just...oh boy.

Just to be clear: I am having A BLAST listening to this. Hurwitz will give it a 1/10.

Sounds great! Mine's still on pre-order, waiting to be shipped at Presto's ... but looking forward all the more now! 

Playing now:



which is the bonus added to disc 34 of this:

[asin]B00E0H8KAQ[/asin]

Btw, enjoyed Ansermet's Sibelius 2 an awful lot, as for No. 4 I guess others (Karajan, too, of course) fare better. But I'm glad I dug up that Ansermet box again, just took out another dozen of discs to listen to soon (well, relatively, the days just don't have enough hours).

[Brian]

I'm a little sad that I'm streaming this disc instead of buying, because sources have told me that the booklet notes are truly entertaining.



This Tchaikovsky concerto performance is, um, different.

There are some things I really like in here and think EVERY performance should have, like the balalaika-style "strumming" violins at 5:46 in the finale. And the final 60 seconds of each movement is beyond fantastic - the first and last are ultra-exciting (first movement ending is the most exciting interpretation of this moment, ever), the middle is as quiet as it may be humanly possible for musicians to be. But this might be the weirdest Kopatchinskaja yet. The only thing more fun than it will be reading Hurwitz's 1000-word "CD from Hell" slam.

And of course, everything he says will be absolutely right, but something like this...it's like having a bright blue alcoholic drink. Every once in a while, you end up somewhere where that's the thing to do. Don't complain. Take it on its own terms.

Insanity: 10/10
Quality of Execution: 9/10

[Drasko]

There is decent 6-7 minute excerpt from Kopatchinskaja/Currentzis Tchaikovsky concerto that can be streamed from BBC CD review:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06s9kh5

from about 5 minutes into the program

[Wanderer]

This Tchaikovsky concerto performance is, um, different.

Good different! I listened to it (via Apple Music) this morning and ordered it immediately afterwards.

Enlarge upon this, I pray thee.

No vibrato, fast speeds (with emphatic slow-downs to caress certain phrases), pizzicati, copious spiccato, the works. It's so deliciously over-the-top, and she manages not to sound bad the way Faust often does in her own vibrato-less musings. Currentzis' orchestra is superb. Fast speeds allow the orchestral passages to feel liberated and the effect is balletic (the orgiastic kind). Of course, the slow movement doesn't work quite that well, but the outer movements really do.

I only listened to parts of Les Noces, but I liked what I heard. Sounds like this could be a new reference recording for the work.

[Todd]

[Wanderer]

.[asin]B000P7VOXU[/asin]

[king ubu]

playing another one from this box:

[asin]B00E0H8KAQ[/asin]

this one here:



it's disc 5 and contains, as a bonus, En saga and Phjola's Daughter