What are you listening to now?

[Drasko]

https://www.youtube.com/v/E3QgKvDQ1WA

Bruckner - Symphony No.9

New York Philharmonic / Josef Krips (live, '65)

[Ken B]

moment of truth!

Does anyone ever say "Moment of falsehood"? I can think of uses for the phrase ...

[aligreto]

Schumann: Cello Concerto performed by Yo-Yo Ma....

[aligreto]

Beautiful, beautiful.

There are obviously two works on the CD and I opted to listen to Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe because I like the work so much. I liked this performance under Noseda too Karl.

[Brian]

moment of truth!

Let us know what you think of it, Brian.

No. 3: Vanska's tendency to tweak and be deliberately eccentric is most apparent at the very start, where he adds tiny dynamic & rhythmic changes to the main theme (e.g softening the last note of every phrase). It's unnecessary and I'm not a fan, but the rest of the symphony proceeds without oddities, and the orchestra is - as always - a model of clarity and transparency. Some will balk at the slow movement, one of the slowest performances I've heard (10:40; Vanska/Lahti was slower, however). The finale does not exult; it's more "maestoso" than usual instead, which is an interesting alternative.

No. 6: The best thing about this new Vanska cycle, yet, for sure. I mean, Sarge may not love it due to slower tempos in the first two movements, but for whatever reason, Vanska really wakes up bigtime for the finale, and the rest - though not the last word in sheer loveliness - is clear-eyed and well-played. Gotta love how much double bass gets caught by the BIS microphones.

No. 7: Again, Vanska tames in his inner weird (although right at 10:00 there is a bit of string section articulation that seems designed to draw attention to itself, and there's a shuddering tempo change around 10:58). This is a magnificent, moving account of the symphony. The only major detail of orchestral balance that he mismanages is the one everyone mismanages: the violins' D-C descent at 21:42-21:48, right before they ascend to the final C. That four-note arrival at two C's is the resolution to the flute theme at the start, and the trombone solo, but nobody seems to recognize that they are only giving us half of the symphony's resolution.

Overall, the best volume of the series, I'm happy to say. And generous at 82 minutes.

Given how bad BIS's 2015 Kamu Sibelius cycle was, and given how cold and hard-edged an acoustic BIS had in the Lahti cycle, it's nice to welcome this CD despite all the duplications. Not so sure about the Minnesota 1/2/4/5, however.

[Mirror Image]

Thanks for the report, Brian. I don't like Vanska's Minnesota recordings as much as his 90s Lahti cycle, but they still beat the hell out of any of Colin Davis' cycles!

[king ubu]

back from a terrific week in Vienna, and playing some rather fitting stuff again already:

[Sergeant Rock]

I don't like Vanska's Minnesota recordings as much as his 90s Lahti cycle, but they still beat the hell out of any of Colin Davis' cycles!

Sarge

[Fitzcarraldo]

J. S. Bach - Orgelbüchlein, BWV 599-644 - Helmut Walcha

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to the Requiem. Certainly one of my favorites from Schnittke's large oeuvre.

[listener]

FELDMAN: Two Pianos, Intermission 6,Piece for Four Pianos
BERGMANN & VAN VEEN: Two Pianos on Strings, BACH on strings for 4 pianos
glad I'm not hearing this live, my reaction might be annoying
MAHLER: Symphony no.5   Philharmonia Orchestra/Sinopoli

[Brian]

Sarge

Partially agree with you, the Davis LSO Live cycle (ie #3) has some really great mainstream interpretations (2367). I hate his speed demon Boston Fifth but parts of that cycle are too exciting to deny.

[Sergeant Rock]

Partially agree with you, the Davis LSO Live cycle (ie #3) has some really great mainstream interpretations (2367). I hate his speed demon Boston Fifth but parts of that cycle are too exciting to deny.

You know I love the Boston 6 and appreciate that cycle's 3 and 7 too. The Kullervos from the RCA and LSO Live cycles are, in their different ways, my favorites.

Sarge

[Todd]

The first disc of three new complete sets of Ravel's music.  Pizarro's tempi are a bit broad, which is most obvious and detrimental in Scarbo.  He relies perhaps a little too much on pedaling for effect, and while enjoyable, there are much better sets.  This does have the bad fortune of being the first new set I tried after Bertrand Chamayou's set, so maybe that's part of it.  Linn's sound is distant and clean, but not SOTA.  The second disc was recorded using a Bluthner, so maybe the tonal difference will make it more attractive.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Three Latin American Sketches. I believe I've only heard this work a few times. Quite nice.

[HIPster]

Evening music ~

[asin]B00U2OT06Y[/asin]

Although François Couperin is best known today as a composer of harpsichord music, he remained deeply involved in chamber music throughout his career. Les Nations is a vast project in which the virtues of both the French and Italian styles are set next to each other. Each of the four ordres celebrates a Catholic power of Europe - France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the Savoy dynasty of Piedmont - and each is a combination of an Italianate trio sonata with its free-form virtuosity and a large-scale and elaborate French dance suite. Led by the Julliard School's Historical Performance Program artistic director and violinist Monica Huggett, the period-instrument specialist Juilliard Baroque ensemble, featuring nine of the world's most respected and accomplished early music instrumentalists, is a faculty grouping committed to lively, passionate performances of 17th - 18th c. music.

Review

"This new version, featuring all four ordres on two discs, boasts a group of very fine period-instrument soloists, experts in Baroque style and members of the period-performance faculty ensemble at Juilliard...There's a spirit and style to the playing that's absolutely right- a notable and particularly lovely example among many is the opening of L'Espagnole..." --David Vernier, Classicstoday.com, 2015

Bold for aligreto.   

Really sweet release. 

[TheGSMoeller]

No. 30 "Alleluja"
I love a symphony that ends with a good Menuet...

[Fitzcarraldo]

More pipes:

JSB - Schübler Chorales, BWV 645-650 - Walcha

JSB - Leipzig Chorales, BWV 651-668 - Walcha


JSB - Trio Sonatas, BWV 525-530 - Chapuis

[HIPster]

More pipes:

JSB - Schübler Chorales, BWV 645-650 - Walcha

JSB - Leipzig Chorales, BWV 651-668 - Walcha


JSB - Trio Sonatas, BWV 525-530 - Chapuis

Hi Fitzcarraldo.

Welcome to the forum! 

Now playing ~

[asin]B000LE0TEM[/asin]

CD 2. Superb Handel.

[TheGSMoeller]

On The Dnieper