Pieces that have blown you away recently

Started by arpeggio, September 09, 2016, 02:36:58 PM

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relm1

#2100
Cross post - I posted this in the Ivanovs thread but really loved this.  It's a colorful quasi symphonic poem/symphony (think Scriabin and Lyatoshynsky) as being late romatic, colorful, dramatic works with I think a program.  Here with a large and colorful orchestra including harp, celesta, wordless choir, and saxophones. 

Irons

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 23, 2023, 10:13:12 AMLet's not forget the dreamy Introduction et Allegro for flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet (there's also a version with string orchestra on a Chandos CD) and the Sonata for violin and cello.

The Sonata for Violin and Cello is a fabulous work. A hidden gem.
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Irons on January 24, 2023, 01:06:14 AMThe Sonata for Violin and Cello is a fabulous work. A hidden gem.
I don't believe that I've heard that work before now.  Whose recording do you like of it Lol?

Off to put on at least one of a 2-CD set of Ravel's piano works with Bavouzet on an MDG CD.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Irons

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on January 24, 2023, 08:42:56 AMI don't believe that I've heard that work before now.  Whose recording do you like of it Lol?

Off to put on at least one of a 2-CD set of Ravel's piano works with Bavouzet on an MDG CD.

PD

I listened in open mouth astonishment to a piece I thought minor Ravel (of course there is no such thing). A work highly recommended, PD.
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Irons on January 25, 2023, 12:06:15 AMI listened in open mouth astonishment to a piece I thought minor Ravel (of course there is no such thing). A work highly recommended, PD.
Oooh!  And Martinu on there to boot!  ;D

I enjoyed my minor trip with Ravel yesterday.  Perhaps more today?  By the way, I don't have many MDG CDs, but boy, what I have heard have not only been excellent performances, but the recording sound--to die for!

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

dahugee

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on January 24, 2023, 08:42:56 AMI don't believe that I've heard that work before now.  Whose recording do you like of it Lol?

Off to put on at least one of a 2-CD set of Ravel's piano works with Bavouzet on an MDG CD.

PD

I'm fond of this recording, which also has my favorite rendition of the string quartet!

http://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/2018/04/ravel-with-pascal-quartet-oscar-shumsky.html?m=0

Irons

You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: dahugee on January 25, 2023, 07:00:39 AMI'm fond of this recording, which also has my favorite rendition of the string quartet!

http://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/2018/04/ravel-with-pascal-quartet-oscar-shumsky.html?m=0
I'll check out the link...thanks...though the 2-CD set that I mentioned has nothing to do with a quartet.  It's solo piano music by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.

I'll look into the Pascal Quartet.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Mapman

Villa-Lobos: String Quartet #17
Danubius Quartet

I just listened to this for the first time, and I'm extremely impressed. The 2nd movement is very beautiful, and the final movement has a melody similar to one in Choros #10. The quartet is engaging from the beginning to the end. I'll need to listen to more Villa-Lobos in the near future.

(Also, even though they sound almost nothing alike, it reminded me of Sibelius. I think they might have somewhat similar approaches to modern music that still is melodic and not extremely dissonant.)


pjme

Quote from: relm1 on January 23, 2023, 04:49:05 PMCross post - I posted this in the Ivanovs thread but really loved this.  It's a colorful quasi symphonic poem/symphony (think Scriabin and Lyatoshynsky) as being [b]late romatic, colorful, dramatic[/b] works with I think a program.  Here with a large and colorful orchestra including harp, celesta, wordless choir, and saxophones. 

Indeed, very "romantic, colorful and dramatic"! Fun too! I was reminded of this 1961 "spectacular"....


The score is by Russell Garcia - an adventurous musician. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Garcia_(composer)

Symphonic Addict


Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher

Honegger's greatest creation? It certainly is the most impressive work I have ever heard by him so far. An absolute masterpiece, with its dialogues, spoken parts and all. The choral and orchestral writings at the peak of his creative powers. The last part Jeanne en flammes is powerfully vivid and heartfelt. Remarkable in every way.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

pjme

Quote from: Løvfald on February 08, 2023, 12:43:03 PM
Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher

Honegger's greatest creation? It certainly is the most impressive work I have ever heard by him so far. An absolute masterpiece, with its dialogues, spoken parts and all. The choral and orchestral writings at the peak of his creative powers. The last part Jeanne en flammes is powerfully vivid and heartfelt. Remarkable in every way.

In my experience, still the best recorded "Jeanne". It definitely is one of Honeggers great creations.

relm1

#2112
Quote from: pjme on February 05, 2023, 07:06:55 AMIndeed, very "romantic, colorful and dramatic"! Fun too! I was reminded of this 1961 "spectacular"....


The score is by Russell Garcia - an adventurous musician. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Garcia_(composer)

Woah, that trailer's epic!  hahaha


vandermolen

Quote from: Løvfald on February 08, 2023, 12:43:03 PM
Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher

Honegger's greatest creation? It certainly is the most impressive work I have ever heard by him so far. An absolute masterpiece, with its dialogues, spoken parts and all. The choral and orchestral writings at the peak of his creative powers. The last part Jeanne en flammes is powerfully vivid and heartfelt. Remarkable in every way.
It is certainly one of his greatest works Cesar.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: pjme on February 11, 2023, 04:21:00 AMIn my experience, still the best recorded "Jeanne". It definitely is one of Honeggers great creations.

Quote from: vandermolen on February 12, 2023, 02:28:55 AMIt is certainly one of his greatest works Cesar.

Baudo was a great interpreter of Honegger and it shows on that splendid recording indeed.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

relm1

I thought very highly of Leopold Stowkoski's Symphony.  Not really a symphony but a colorful and vibrantly orchestrated symphonic poem.  Very French and Russian (complete with a Dies Irae) but extremely high quality.  Just imagine if he poured his effort in to composition instead of conducting. 

pjme

#2116
Quote from: relm1 on February 14, 2023, 04:49:49 PMI thought very highly of Leopold Stowkoski's Symphony.  Not really a symphony but a colorful and vibrantly orchestrated symphonic poem.  Very French and Russian (complete with a Dies Irae) but extremely high quality.  Just imagine if he poured his effort in to composition instead of conducting. 

Very interesting discovery. Thanks.

Quite when Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977) wrote his Symphony is not clear. It might have been between 1896 and 1899 when he was studying at the Royal College of Music or it could just have been between 1906 and 1909 (as suggested by Stokowski guru, Edward Johnson). The manuscript of Symphony was stolen from Stokowski's library, but the orchestral parts were discovered following the conductor's death and the work reconstructed by Edwin Heilakka, the now-deceased curator at the Curtis Institute, where Stokowski's papers resided before being transferred to the University of Pennsylvania. It can only be speculation if Stokowski had Symphony sight-read by his orchestras in Cincinnati and Philadelphia and, there being no evidence of a performance, it seems justified to call this RCM one a world premiere.

If the RCM Sinfonietta suggests a small orchestra, the Sinfonietta tag has more to do with the gradation of students, those who are a step away from the Royal College of Music's Symphony Orchestra, for Stokowski's Symphony calls for a large orchestra including two tubas and a contrabass clarinet. It isn't quite the size of "megalomaniacal proportions" as suggested in the programme note (not when compared with Lorin Maazel's Farewells, which he recently conducted in London).

At 16 minutes (in this performance), Stokowski's Symphony is an atmospheric piece, the opening suggesting Debussy and Chausson, both with an ear to Wagner, a nod to Impressionism, the two movements (which emerged as one here) not really developing a symphonic argument and suggesting more a tone poem or some darkly suggestive incidental music. One idea comes close to quoting (but not quite) the 'Dies Irae' plainchant, and although the flute solos remind of Debussy's Syrinx and textures occasionally suggest Stravinsky's "King of the Stars", but these pieces probably post-date Stokowski's Symphony (unless a few years later than 1909) but not necessarily Rachmaninov's The Isle of the Dead, which might been a direct influence or Stokowski was a mystic!

The RCM Sinfonietta and Robin O'Neill (developing a fine conducting career beyond his long-held position as principal bassoonist of the Philharmonia Orchestra) gave a well-prepared account of music that may have come as a slight disappointment in relation to the anticipation of it (the nine various-sized gongs on the platform presumably were simply occupying storage space, for they were not required for this Stokowskian extravaganza – but, as was suggested afterwards, if anyone conducts this piece again, then it would be only apposite – given Stokowski's emendations to the scores he conducted, and just retribution! – if they added these gongs, and anything else they fancy, to his Symphony!

....
The RCM Sinfonietta provided a secure accompaniment even though fewer strings would have probably helped in this revamped, renamed but still very lively acoustic.

.....

At the beginning of the concert, Robin O'Neill had addressed the audience. He mentioned another original piece by Stokowski, Reverie, which its composer once played as an encore. Assuming Reverie can still be played, it would have been nice to have heard it on this occasion – as an encore!

Source: https://www.classicalsource.com/concert/leopold-stokowskis-symphony/

pjme

Quote from: pjme on February 15, 2023, 02:00:57 AMLorin Maazel's Farewells

I was intrigued....


and


i wil listen again, later...



Brahmsian

#2118
First run of listening to Italian composer Antonio Bazzini's string quartets. Wow, these are really impressive.

Bazzini (1818-97)

Performed by the Quartetto di Venezia, from the Italian string quartets box set on the Dynamic label.

Sorry, doing this from my phone and unable to paste photo of album cover.

kyjo

Quote from: Maestro267 on January 23, 2023, 09:07:41 AMA piece that's blowing me away as I write is Ravel's Piano Trio. This is my first listen and I am loving it. I didn't realize Ravel wrote as much chamber music as he did. But we have a full-sized string quartet, a piano trio, a violin sonata.

Yeah, it's an absolute masterpiece proving that Ravel was just as much of a magical colorist with small forces as he was with the orchestra. In fact, it's my very favorite work by him, even above Daphnis.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff