What are you listening to now?

[Karl Henning]

I had no idea that £ is the New England currency.  0:)

The New £ 

But that's how one reads the prices on the B&H website.  It is many years since there was a music store in Boston where one might buy a B&H score (like the scores I snaffled of Le pas d'acier and the great d minor symphony).

[San Antone]

The Complete John Cage Edition Volume 12: The Number Pieces 1
Ami Flammer, Martine Joster, Dominique Alchourroun & Jean Michaut

[Florestan]

A fine choice, Sir!

Thanks. It''s the beginning of a marvelous journey, I am sure. Especially so as I have multiple versions for the piano works, the symphonies, the concertos and the chamber music.

In parallel, I intend to listen to Mozart''s sacred works. I have Harnoncourt, Neumann and the Philips Complete Mozart Edition.

[Mandryka]

Yes I understood that. I will try to explain, but again it is very personal.  Harald Vogel, and Joseph Kelemen are my prime examples and comparison if it comes to Leonhardt. Vogel was always very much aware of the knowledge that grew on him over the years and he adapted his style of playing to get as close to what is must have been. Extensive research into composers and playing techniques made him the organist he is today, and as such he is my reference. Leonhardt and Vogel, have many things in common, but their styles could not be more different. I was in the lucky circumstance of having met him (Vogel) at a concert somewhere in Germany, and I asked him a lot of questions, so many in fact, that he invited me to a cafe nearby and patiently answered all of them. And yes we also talked about Leonhardt. So after this I understood some things that were quite unclear to me. Vogel grew over the years, Leonhardt firmly embedded himself in his somewhat academic approach, and this I call outdated but not invalid.
Kelemen is in many way a combination of both organists, but adding also many new elements.
There are of course more organists I admired....

This isn't the place for the discussion maybe. And a lot depends on what you're implying by "academic approach" What I will say is that Leonhardt seemed to go through many phases, and what he was doing at the end was not totally like what he was doing at the middle and at the start. So there is a sort of development there. One of the places where this comes out clearly I think is in the various different Forqueray recordings. But also in Frescobaldi and Froberger. I don't know whether you'd call all these styles academic.

Just a question - have you heard Vogel's Georg Bohm CD?  I'm having a bit of trouble getting into it - I've put it aside to go back to later thinking the problem's just my mood. Maybe now's the time to go back to it.

[aligreto]

Monteverdi: Terzo Libro Dei Madrigali [La Venexiana]....

[aligreto]

[asin]B00004YYQV[/asin]

I bought that CD last year and I really liked it.

[Que]

.[asin]B008GAXUW6[/asin]

With disc 9 I have arrived halfway this box set, and it seems also at a turning point in Clementi's development as a composer.
The works included here mark the transition towards his more mature output.
Costantino Mastroprimiano plays a fortepiano by Kirkman 1798.

Q

[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]

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[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
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[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.