What are you listening to now?

[aligreto]

Very nice, aligreto! 

The Fifth Book has been in constant rotation chez HIPster for the past several months.

One particular ensemble or different versions of Book Five?

[aligreto]

[asin]B000027EPG[/asin]

A Balalaika Concerto - now that would certainly be a first for me as I have never heard one before 

[Wanderer]

Mammoth, flawed, overambitious, you name it, but this concerto is quite marvelous. And seeing it live in concert here in Madrid earlier this year was a great experience. I like it more each time I listen to it. I don't know that particualr recording, though.

I love the Busoni concerto and this is my favourite rendition, along with Lively/Gielen. Hamelin is attuned to the work's ethos, has absolutely no problem with its technical demands (rocking hard in the Tarantella without breaking a sweat) and the shaping of the performance resonates with the imposing imagery on the score's front page...



...designed by Busoni. The three temples symbolize the odd-numbered movements, while the mythical flora, firebird, cypress trees and Vesuvius erupting represent the second and fourth.

A live performance of this must be an inimitable experience. Who played?

[Wanderer]

.[asin]B000002ZW1[/asin]

[Monsieur Croche]

David Lang ~ Crowd Out (2014)
-- world premiere performance ~
Literally Phantastic, but you know, awake ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/v/puPmm9-3-nI

[king ubu]

From the mailbox straight into the player:



Guess that's one way to address (rather: attack) the ole Tchaiko that goes down just fine with me!

[ritter]

I love the Busoni concerto and this is my favourite rendition, along with Lively/Gielen. Hamelin is attuned to the work's ethos, has absolutely no problem with its technical demands (rocking hard in the Tarantella without breaking a sweat) and the shaping of the performance resonates with the imposing imagery on the score's front page...



...designed by Busoni. The three temples symbolize the odd-numbered movements, while the mythical flora, firebird, cypress trees and Vesuvius erupting represent the second and fourth.

A live performance of this must be an inimitable experience. Who played?

It was the Spanish National Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya. The soloist (who was magnificent, playing with great panache and accuracy, and transmitting the different moods of the diffrenet movements very distinctily) was Vadym Kholodenko. This was in February this year, just before this gifted pianist was struck by a terrible family tragedy. These were my (then fresh) impressions of the concert.

Nice to see that cover for the score. Thanks for posting!

For me, the introduction of the fifth movement is, in its meandering, sort of "indeterminate" nature, pure magic, and Busoni at his (considerable) best.

[North Star]

A thoroughly outstanding program, Karlo!

I thought so, too. 

And as an encore, Argerich on the ivories

Chopin
Scherzo no. 3 in c sharp minor, Op. 39
[asin]B001BWQVSG[/asin]

[aligreto]

Alfvén: The Prodigal Son - Suite....

[Obradovic]

Delectable stuff. Provided you can stand long stretches of recitativo secco-aria-recitativo secco-aria etc

[Sergeant Rock]

Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Chung, Previn, LSO




Sarge

[Brian]

Midway through my Hans Gál journey, I decided to take an unplanned detour through this disc:



This is clearly the better of the two Violin Concerto performances. The accompaniment, as led by Kenneth Woods, is far more incisive & dramatic, with a bigger dynamic range. The Gramola recording - my first listen to the concerto - made me think that it was "nice". This one makes me think the piece is good.

[Karl Henning]

This is clearly the better of the two Violin Concerto performances. The accompaniment, as led by Kenneth Woods, is far more incisive & dramatic, with a bigger dynamic range. The Gramola recording - my first listen to the concerto - made me think that it was "nice". This one makes me think the piece is good.

Cool. I see Kenneth Woods all the time on Twitter, and this is the first direct-ish report I have had.

[king ubu]

This is clearly the better of the two Violin Concerto performances. The accompaniment, as led by Kenneth Woods, is far more incisive & dramatic, with a bigger dynamic range. The Gramola recording - my first listen to the concerto - made me think that it was "nice". This one makes me think the piece is good.

Guess this goes to my list then! My first major exposure to Gál recently was the piano set you depicted above, which I enjoyed tremendously!

[Brian]

Cool. I see Kenneth Woods all the time on Twitter, and this is the first direct-ish report I have had.

I like his blog a lot. Unusually for a practicing conductor, he takes time to write enthusiastically about why he likes certain unfamiliar or non-repertoire works (HB's Gothic Symphony, Hans Gál, Philip Sawyers, the various composers he commissions) and evangelizes to his audience on behalf of "scary" composers and is very lucid in, for instance, his explanation of what to listen for in the Lutoslawski piano concerto.

[Harry]

Midway through my Hans Gál journey, I decided to take an unplanned detour through this disc:



This is clearly the better of the two Violin Concerto performances. The accompaniment, as led by Kenneth Woods, is far more incisive & dramatic, with a bigger dynamic range. The Gramola recording - my first listen to the concerto - made me think that it was "nice". This one makes me think the piece is good.

The Gramola recording is an absolute favourite of mine! Never had the feeling nice, but rather spectacular.
I will also buy the other recording.

[Brian]

The Gramola recording is an absolute favourite of mine! Never had the feeling nice, but rather spectacular.
I will also buy the other recording.

This other recording is worth it for the 18 minute "Concertino" - which really is an incredible work! The opening cello melody is so seductive I had to rewind and listen to it twice...

[Karl Henning]

"rewind"

[North Star]

No surprise..

Haydn
Symphony No. 57 in D major (1774)
The Academy of Ancient Music
Hogwood
[asin]B01BHFPU3S[/asin]

[San Antone]

BRITTEN: Folk Song Arrangements
Langridge, Philip - tenor
Lott, Felicity - soprano
Johnson, Graham - piano