What are you listening to now?

[Mandryka]

Karin Nelson plays the Scheidemann Magnificats, and I'm really impressed by the quality of the music. Karin Nelson wrote a doctorate on these magnificats, which I'd like to see, I managed to find this tantalising glimpse on the web.

https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/23266/2/gupea_2077_23266_2.pdf

[listener]

music for Glass Harmonica  (the instrument, not Philip) by 
MOZART: Adagio and Rondo, Adagio  K. 617,617a  REICHARDT: Rondeau in B^b  RÖLLIG: Quintet in c
J.A.P. SCHULZ: Largo in c   J.G. NAUMANN: Quartet in C
Bruno Hoffmann, g.h., and strings
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: On Wenlock Edge   Gerald English, tenor
IRELAND: Epic March, Suite: The Overlanders
West Australian S.O.,  David Measham, cond.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

May have time for one or both of these this AM :

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Delayed thread duty from yesterday, and likely to be repeated today: Petrushka

[asin]B000006CRW[/asin]

After struggling to feel much enthusiasm for The Firebird from the same set, Petrushka was highly enjoyable.

The funny thing is, reviews of this tend to criticise Petrushka the most.

I don't know whether I need new Stravinsky (this is my only recording of these works) or a new set of ears.

Have you heard the Colin Davis/Concertgebouw Firebird on Philips?- the performance is riveting. The accents Davis employs with the Russian rhythmic musical asymmetry of "The Infernal Dance" fall like thunderbolts. The recording quality is stellar.



That said though, the best and most pristine 'sounding' Firebird I've ever heard as far as the clarity of the textures goes is definitely the Andrew Litton/Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra on BIS. I love luxuritating in this just for the kaleidoscope of color and nuance of timbre.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Prokofiev, second violin sonata, op. 94a, transcription from flute to violin by Prokofiev. Primo stuff. Works this good don't deserve their neglect.



[asin]B00004XQK4[/asin]

Mutter's Prokofiev and Respighi certainly do the cute photogenic cover justice.

[Madiel]

Have you heard the Colin Davis/Concertgebouw Firebird on Philips?- the performance is riveting. The accents Davis employs with the Russian rhythmic musical asymmetry of "The Infernal Dance" fall like thunderbolts. The recording quality is stellar.



That said though, the best and most pristine 'sounding' Firebird I've ever heard as far as the clarity of the textures goes is definitely the Andrew Litton/Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra on BIS. I love luxuritating in this just for the kaleidoscope of color and nuance of timbre.

Thanks. Both of those look quite promising, I will definitely investigate further.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

A stunning display of virtuoso Mozart arias. I don't think I've ever heard the Queen of the Night's arias sung with such force and bite, and such accuracy. You certainly wouldn't want to mess with this Queen. Moser is also wonderful in the fireworks of Martern aller Arten[ /i], and makes an excellent Elettra and Vitellia, though her voice becomes rather colourless in the lower reaches of Vitellia's Non piu di fiori. It always surprises me Moser didn't record more.

Moser certainly puts her special dramatic stamp on that cd- that's for sure. I've never heard a more thrilling Mozart recital cd sung to such excellent (dramatic) advantage. (Schwarzkopf's finessings are a whole different story ).

The technical virtuosity, the dramatic musical intelligence, the sheer beauty of Moser's silvery high end- I love it all.

. . . and so does a friend of mine, incidentally- who loves heavy metal and Wagner but generally 'can't stand' Mozart.

He came over to my house when I was blasting the Moser Mozart recital cd and I played him the Martern aller Arten.

He just looked at me and said, "Total metal."

- and this from a hardcore Immortal and Amon Amarth fan- the ultimate 'Kick @ss Seal of Approval' for Edda. Ha.  Ha.  Ha.  Ha.

[North Star]

Merula
Hor ch'é tempo di morire, canzonetta spirituale sopra alla nanna
Monteverdi, Salvatore, Händel, Vivaldi, Cavalli, Legrenzi
Sara Mingardo
Concerto Italiano
Rinaldo Alessandrini

   

[Tsaraslondon]

You don't come across many recital discs of Berlioz tenor arias. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the only one. Alagna tackles a wide range of Berlioz's tenor roles, from Aenee and Iopas in Les Troyens, Le Recitant in L'Enfance du Christ, Benedict, Faust and Benvenuto Cellini, through to the tenor arias from Lelio, with Gerard Depardieu, no less, doing the spoken bits, and Berlioz's grandiose arrangement of Le Marseillaise.

On stage Aenee would no doubt have been too heavy for him, and Iopas too light, but he manages them both well here. On the other hand, Cellini, Benedict and Faust would no doubt suit him admirably (he is joined by Angela Gheorghiu, his then wife, for a lovely rendition of the Love Duet). Excellent accompaniments from Bertrand de Billy and the Royal Opera House Orchetra, Covent Garden.

I know that Alagna seems to come in for a lot of bashing these days, but in the right repertoire he was an appreciable singer , and he was always at his best in French music. This is a really excellent disc.

[Tsaraslondon]

Have you heard the Colin Davis/Concertgebouw Firebird on Philips?- the performance is riveting. The accents Davis employs with the Russian rhythmic musical asymmetry of "The Infernal Dance" fall like thunderbolts. The recording quality is stellar.



That said though, the best and most pristine 'sounding' Firebird I've ever heard as far as the clarity of the textures goes is definitely the Andrew Litton/Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra on BIS. I love luxuritating in this just for the kaleidoscope of color and nuance of timbre.

By coincidence this arrived this morning



And I'm listening to it now.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

...I know that Alagna seems to come in for a lot of bashing these days, but in the right repertoire he was an appreciable singer , and he was always at his best in French music...

Agree wholeheartedly. 

[prémont]

Karin Nelson plays the Scheidemann Magnificats, and I'm really impressed by the quality of the music.

This has been on my radar since long. It´s time to order it, I suppose.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

By coincidence this arrived this morning



And I'm listening to it now.

Tell me what'cha think when you're done, Darlin'.

[Wakefield]

First listen:



I like very much what I'm listening to. Nothing hectic here, the music breathes freedom and elegance.

BTW, it's great to see Terakado and Uemura recording this Rameau's fantastic collection again. 

[Tsaraslondon]

My used (but near-mint) copy of this arrived today (bought via amazon from Oxfam):

[asin]B0000040Y0[/asin]
I am increasingly convinced that Les Troyens is one of the greatest operas of all time, and I wanted to complement my Dutoit set (which I bought when it first came out in the early 90s) with this pioneering effort by Colin Davis.

I've gone straight to Acts IV and V, and this recording is a great achievement (but I must confess that--once again--I simply cannot warm to Jon Vickers's singing   ).

One of the greatest operas ever written, in my opinion, and Davis is definitely the way to go, either in this recording or the later live one he did with LSO.

It's a pity you can't warm to Vickers. I think he is magnificent and one of the main reasons I prefer this recording to the later one. I also prefer Veasey to De Young (though Baker is even better in the final scenes she recorded under Alexander Gibson).

Still, if you have a problem with Vickers, try the later one. You may prefer Ben Heppner. He doesn't have Vickers's intensity, but makes the more conventionally attractive sound.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Staggering. Callas's Armida is superhuman, which is probably about right for a sorceress. Fleming, on both CD and DVD and in much better sound of course, is pallid by comparison, where Callas just bursts through the decidedly lo-fi sound.

The Proch is an empty piece, and I wonder why she even bothered with it, but, my God, what singing! That a voice of such power and penetration could sing with such flexibility and accuracy is little short of miraculous.

"Pallid by comparison" is right for both the DVD and the cd versions of Fleming's (though her voice sounds more silvery on the cd than it does on her later DVD re-make) when compared with Callas'.

Callas has such tremendous volume and flexibility to her voice with her Armida. I really can't see any other singer having the ability to do what she did in terms of raw athleticism as well as imaginative dramatic insight. . .

You're so right about the Proch.

But I love the Proch 'because of' Callas and 'only because of' Callas.

She takes a bunch of empty-but-fiendishly-impossible note spinning and turns it into fiercely emotional utterance that is technical perfection.

Any lesser singer attempting this piece would bore me to tears. Not so with La Divina though.

[The new erato]

I know that Alagna seems to come in for a lot of bashing these days, but in the right repertoire he was an appreciable singer , and he was always at his best in French music.

His Werther is superb.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Mutter's Prokofiev and Respighi certainly do the cute photogenic cover justice.

Yes, incendiary playing. Although they'd probably do well to dress her in a hazmat suit.

[Tsaraslondon]

His Werther is superb.

Absolutely without question. I did a comparative review of five favorite version recently - Pappano, Davis, Cohen, Plasson and Pretre. They all have their merits, but the Pappano won on points.

[North Star]

Gershwin
Songbook
Hamelin
https://www.youtube.com/v/mJ9o6PPSL88