What are you listening to now?

[Karl Henning]

Quite possibly a first listen . . .

Holmboe
Requiem for Nietzsche, Op.84 / M.219 (1963–4)

[Harry]

A new acquisition and new composer in my collection. Neoclassical bliss.


http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2016/02/farkas-ferenc-1905-2000-orchestral.html?spref=tw

[EigenUser]

Boulez's

Lol, I Googled "Boulez Derive Amazon" to get a picture of the cover. The album is listed under "Beauty > Makeup > Eyes > Glitter and Shimmer".


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[Harry]

Another fine new acquisition on the Toccata label, with music by a Dutch/German master.
Recommended. Buy it before it goes OOP, quite a few (about 250 titles) that are offered now for low prices will disappear from the catalogue.

http://walboi.blogspot.nl/2016/02/rontgen-julius-1855-1932-chamber-music.html?spref=tw

[Karl Henning]

Lol, I Googled "Boulez Derive Amazon" to get a picture of the cover. The album is listed under "Beauty > Makeup > Eyes > Glitter and Shimmer".

That's fair.

[EigenUser]

That's fair.

It is a funny mistake because I've always thought that late Boulez has a nice "shimmer" to it. I'm just trying to imagine a guy yelling to his wife "Honey, we are going to be late for the party!" with her response being "One more minute -- I just have to put some Boulez on my eyes!"

[bhodges]

Speaking of Boulez, watched this DVD last weekend with some friends, on a terrific surround-sound system. Anyone who wants a big Boulez snapshot (of his conducting, that is) will want to see this at some point. Soprano Christine Schäfer is spectacular in Berg's Lulu Suite, and in the Debussy gems. (I don't recall hearing these latter pieces.)

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is superb everywhere, including The Firebird (1910 version), all taped in 2000 at the MusikTriennale Köln.

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--Bruce

[EigenUser]

Speaking of Boulez, watched this DVD last weekend with some friends, on a terrific surround-sound system. Anyone who wants a big Boulez snapshot (of his conducting, that is) will want to see this at some point. Soprano Christine Schäfer is spectacular in Berg's Lulu Suite, and in the Debussy gems. (I don't recall hearing these latter pieces.)

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is superb everywhere, including The Firebird (1910 version), all taped in 2000 at the MusikTriennale Köln.

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--Bruce

I literally just put Berg's Lulu Suite on and then I came across this post! It isn't even something I listen to that often (though I really like it).
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[HIPster]

Singer Pur - Orlando Di Lasso

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[SonicMan46]

Mozart, WA - Piano Concertos w/ Christian Zacharias & the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne - arrived yesterday and just getting started, unfortunately not on my den stereo at the moment - reviews of three of the discs in the attached file, for those interested.  Dave

[Que]

Sonata In C Major ('Reliquie') D 840 and miscellaneous short pieces.
Jan Vermeulen plays a Tröndlin fortepiano from c. 1825.

Q

[Karl Henning]

Quite possibly a first listen . . .

Holmboe
Requiem for Nietzsche, Op.84 / M.219 (1963–4)

I paced this, taking breaks between tracks/Parts.  Overall, I think it excellent music, thoroughly engaging to listen to.

That said, a non-fatal quibble.  I don't absolutely fault Holmboe for it, any more than I do Игорь Фëдорович for the comparable use in his Libera me) but each time I hear a choir speaking a text in rhythm, I think, Okay, that was kind of interesting the very first time I heard it, decades ago.  It's a technique which IMO does not rise to the level of a legitimate reusable item.  It just makes me wonder, Gee, could the composer not think of notes here, then? (that thought crosses my mind, even though I know perfectly well that both Holmboe & Игорь Фëдорович, e.g., never lacked for excellent notes). I just get impatient for the next actually musical passage to get started.

As I say, that is a mere footnote.  I hope someday to write a choral piece as fine and substantial as this 'un;  it is certainly a piece I shall revisit from time to time.

[Karl Henning]

Дмитрий Дмитриевич [ Dmitri Dmitriyevich (Shostakovich) ]
Симфония № 1 фа минор, соч. 10 [ Symphony № 1 in f minor, Opus 10 ] (1924-25)
French National Radio Orchestra
Игорь Борисович [ Igor Borisovich (Markevich) ]

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[aligreto]

This piece is a true idée fixe for you, isn't it?  Nothing wrong with that . . . .

Hi Karl,
I am trying to hold myself to a promise that I made to myself regarding my listening patterns for 2016. My aim was to do more project listening for this year focusing on one work or composer etc at least in each month; a theme, if you will. The Symphonie fantastique is one of those projects and I must say that I did get something out of it in terms of understanding as well as a few more recommendations of which the above happened to be one.

[ritter]

First listen to this recent acquisition. This is turning out to be a top-notch Ravel disc!

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What a wonderful singer Jan DeGaetani was!

[aligreto]

Brahms: Alto Rhapsody [Blythe]....





A strong, emotion filled performance.

[Mirror Image]

Now:





A new acquisition. Listening to Sinfonietta. This is pretty rough sounding so far or at least in the first movement: Allegretto. Even though there's no Slavic blood to be found in this, otherwise, quite British orchestra, it's pretty riveting so far. Rattle, always the orchestral dissector (sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse), really seems to understand Janáček's musical language pretty well.

[amw]

Symphonic Dances will always be a piano piece to me, but this orchestral version works well enough that it seems like more than just an "arrangement". (Or maybe it's the piano version which is an effective reimagination/recomposition, I don't know which came first. Except in my heart obvs.)

I don't know what I think of Symphony 3—turned it off about 6 minutes into the first movement because bored.

[André]

What does this look like, André?  TIA 

Meaning ? The box in question is Thew Art of James Levine. 23 cds IIRC.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

What a wonderful singer Jan DeGaetani was!

Yes to the DeGaetani praise! You may already know the one below but it's another gem (proper pic first, Amazon link below):








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