Pieces that have blown you away recently

[Pohjolas Daughter]

That's like taking the polar bear plunge. 

I suspect that he'll quickly get 'sucked into it'.    And the time will fly!

PD

[vandermolen]

We shall see, although part of me wonders if the 'Te Deum' scene is going to be the only part of the opera which appeals to me. I think that Biffo said something to that effect. Meanwhile I've played the Te Deum scene about ten times today!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

We shall see, although part of me wonders if the 'Te Deum' scene is going to be the only part of the opera which appeals to me. I think that Biffo said something to that effect. Meanwhile I've played the Te Deum scene about ten times today!

Jeffrey,

It's a story...and a powerful one.  You listen to so much (for you) new music....PLEASE give it a shot.  I truly think that it will awe you.

PD

[arpeggio]

I have been listening to the "Te Diem" scene myself and freaking out.  I subscribe to Met on Demand.

May I suggest the First Act to Turandot.  That is the "Te Diem" on steroids.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I have been listening to the "Te Diem" scene myself and freaking out.  I subscribe to Met on Demand.

May I suggest the First Act to Turandot.  That is the "Te Diem" on steroids.

Yes, Turandot is great, but please what about listening to Tosca?! 

[arpeggio]

I think I can see where the Vandermolen is coming from.  The rest of the opera just may not be his cup of tea.

There are many operas that I can only connect with sections of them.

I just thought of another that might appeal to him.  The "Coronation Scene" from Boris Godunov.

[vandermolen]

Thanks PD and Arpeggio for interesting and thought-provoking suggestions. Actually Boris Godunov is one of the (very) few operas which I like (I have seen it staged several times and have about three recordings of it), although I find the love scenes with 'Marina' rather irritating and gather that Mussorgsky was obliged to add them in. The Coronation Scene is, indeed, terrific. The ending, featuring the Simpleton in the forest is one of the most moving things that I know in music. It's quite early here and I've already played the Te Deum scene from Tosca half-a-dozen times!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Thanks PD and Arpeggio for interesting and thought-provoking suggestions. Actually Boris Godunov is one of the (very) few operas which I like (I have seen it staged several times and have about three recordings of it), although I find the love scenes with 'Marina' rather irritating and gather that Mussorgsky was obliged to add them in. The Coronation Scene is, indeed, terrific. The ending, featuring the Simpleton in the forest is one of the most moving things that I know in music. It's quite early here and I've already played the Te Deum scene from Tosca half-a-dozen times!

Wow!  That's a lot of replays!

And, yes, Boris G. is quite a whopper of an opera too! 

PD

[arpeggio]

My first love for opera was Boris.

Generally speaking I really did not get into opera until I was in my fifties.  When I was younger I was obsessed with trying to understand the plots and the narratives.  I then said the hell with the plots, just listen to the music.  That for me that was the turning point.

One of the few Wagner operas that I like is Tristan.  I had no idea what was going on I just thought it was great.  I then saw a live production and thought my God this is really stupid.  I still dig the music.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

My first love for opera was Boris.

Generally speaking I really did not get into opera until I was in my fifties.  When I was younger I was obsessed with trying to understand the plots and the narratives.  I then said the hell with the plots, just listen to the music.  That for me that was the turning point.

One of the few Wagner operas that I like is Tristan.  I had no idea what was going on I just thought it was great.  I then saw a live production and thought my God this is really stupid.  I still dig the music.

Tristan is great!  Love the Liebestod.

And, yes, well, the plots of most operas are shall we say, rather out there? 

PD

[relm1]

How about modern opera?  I thought Adams' Doctor Atomic was fantastic and a very intense ending even though we all know what happens.

[arpeggio]

At the Naxos Music Library Website I discovered an obscure 19th century composer: Michal Bergson.



His piano concerto is mundane in a few places.

To my ears his solo piano music is comparable to Chopin.

The Luisa di Montfort, Op. 82: Scene and Aria for clarinet and orchestra is great.

[vandermolen]

My first love for opera was Boris.

Generally speaking I really did not get into opera until I was in my fifties.  When I was younger I was obsessed with trying to understand the plots and the narratives.  I then said the hell with the plots, just listen to the music.  That for me that was the turning point.

One of the few Wagner operas that I like is Tristan.  I had no idea what was going on I just thought it was great.  I then saw a live production and thought my God this is really stupid.  I still dig the music.

Interesting. I'd like to hear Martinu's 'Julietta' which I missed when it was in London decades ago. I like VW's 'Pilgrim's Progress' and 'Riders to the Sea' and consider them amongst his greatest works, although they are not especially 'operatic'.

[MusicTurner]

At the Naxos Music Library Website I discovered an obscure 19th century composer: Michal Bergson.



His piano concerto is mundane in a few places.

To my ears his solo piano music is comparable to Chopin.

The Luisa di Montfort, Op. 82: Scene and Aria for clarinet and orchestra is great.

Thank you, didn't know this guy. Turns out he was the father of the influential philosopher Henri Bergson.

[arpeggio]

I do not know as much about baroque music as I should.  Several years ago I purchased the following collection:



I have discover many composers that I was unfamiliar (Other than reading about them in music history).

The latest work that blew my away on this set is the Biber Requiem.

[arpeggio]

I have just listened to the following albums on the Naxos Music Library website that contains music of Janacek that I was not familiar with.  Awesome 



JANÁČEK, L.: Capriccio, JW VII/11 / Concertino, JW VII/12 / 1.X.1905 (Chamber Compositions) (Wiesner, Havlák, Klánská, Maceček, Marek, Svárovský)



JANÁČEK, L.: Diary of One Who Disappeared (The) / Silesian Songs / Hukvaldy Folk Poetry in Songs (Vodička, Zerhauová, Kvapil)

[kyjo]

Dohnányi: String Quartet No. 3 in A minor, Op. 33 (as played by The Nash Ensemble)

I'm speechless at this towering creation. Terrific, just terrific. The impressive technique displayed in each movement is something proper of a craftsman and of an authentic genius. Recommended for fans of Brahms, Reger (just that less rigid and perhaps less chromatic), and early Schönberg, chiefly. We're very lucky at having this ensemble playing this work in an extraordinary rendition like this one. The codas of the outer movements are utterly breathtaking. They will have you at the edge of your seat.



Respighi: Poema autunnale (from the Brilliant Classics Respighi box)

Suffocatingly beautiful, achingly touching. I must confess it moved me to tears. The first section is unbearably heart-melting as anything. On this revisit, I really was astounded. One of the Respighi's best works. The performance has nothing to be desired. It was flawless or almost flawless to my ears.



And last, but not least: Friedrich Gulda's exhilarating Symphony in G.

Holy cow, what a hyper-cool work!!!

I mean, this is just mindblowing in genius, form and wit. It's like if Mozart had lived to the 20th century, absorbing American music, mostly Jazz.

Just the 2nd movement is of a stunning quality. A moody-melancholic movement that as well. If you know his Concerto for cello and jazz band, that's nothing compared with this.

Totally agree about the Dohnányi. For some reason I don't recall being too impressed by the Respighi - time for a revisit. And thanks for the pointer about the Gulda - I had no idea it existed! I love his Cello Concerto, so I'm definitely looking forward to hearing it.

[springrite]

My first love for opera was Boris.

Generally speaking I really did not get into opera until I was in my fifties.  When I was younger I was obsessed with trying to understand the plots and the narratives.  I then said the hell with the plots, just listen to the music.  That for me that was the turning point.

One of the few Wagner operas that I like is Tristan.  I had no idea what was going on I just thought it was great.  I then saw a live production and thought my God this is really stupid.  I still dig the music.

Opera plots are intentionally stupid so you'd ignore them and pay attention exclusively to the music!

[kyjo]

I have never been a big aficionado of Faure.

Recently I have discovered some of his music that really impressed me.

The latest I heard on the Naxos Music Library Website.  I need to explore more of his music.  Even though I performed it I never could get into his Requiem.  My loss.

Fauré's piano quartets - and indeed all of his chamber music - are sublime. I'm currently playing the first one with some of my colleagues, and what a great work it is! I highly recommend the Trio Wanderer (with violist Antoine Tamestit) recording on Harmonia Mundi.

[André]

Both works here are absolutely breathtaking, with symphony no 3 having claims to be a real masterpiece.

The sax concerto's style reminds me a bit of Sandström's Motorbike Concerto (for trombone) in its unabashed relish in assaulting the ears with its raucousness and relentless rythmic drive. But it's not mere sound and fury. There is a genuine urgency behind the flood of sound, the piling up of neon flashes and pyrotechnics. There are important parts for piano and percussion. The composer says it's almost a triple concerto but, at least in this recording, it's the saxophone that takes center stage. It must be a hoot to witness in concert.

The symphony is a grand statement, 45 minutes of energy and kaleidoscopic colours. The opening chord on the double basses is reminiscent of the 8th symphony by Shostakovich, but immediately gives way to oriental sonorities (japanese flutes) and plenty of other vistas as well. The composer writes that «  it is music that completely liberates those melodies, harmonies and beats bearing the seal of the twentieth century, and unleashes the passions of a composer ». He also mentions the clash/dichotomy between masculine and feminine elements. Quite a program and quite a mouthful to chew on.

This is different from anything I have experienced before but at the same time it is anchored in traditional western musical forms so that I never sense I am lost at sea. Recommended !

P.S. I have long known and loved  Yoshimatsu's 2nd symphony (also on Chandos) but had never managed to pursue the exploration of this composer's works. I must remedy to that asap.