Pieces that have blown you away recently

[Todd]

Sweet Jesus!  Jorge Luis Prats' so far sole Decca recital from 2011 is a knock-out.  A Cuban, he was long relegated to touring Soviet bloc countries only, only reemerging into the international scene last decade, and he has made only a handful of recordings.  This one of Spanish and Latin American solo piano music, taken from a single recital with no patching, is just phenomenal.  I've heard a fair number of recordings of Goyescas, but none sound so spontaneous and comfortable as this.  Sure, some others play with a bit more tonal nuance some of the time, and yes, Prats puts El Pelele fifth in the sequence and then plays El Amor y la muerte last, and drops Epilogo altogether, but the pianist offers his rationale, which is basically this: why do you need an epilogue when the lovers are dead?  A shoot-out is in order.  The disc then moves to Villa-Lobos Bachiana brasleira No 4.  I've got little Villa-Lobos solo piano music in my collection, but the little I have is superb, capped by Nelson Freire's discs for Teldec and Decca, though he doesn't play this work.  Prats is very close to Freire's equal.  The three short works by three different Cuban composers are likewise masterful.  Superb sound.

As to other recordings, there's a Rach 2 & 3 out there, a Grieg/Dohnanyi/Litolff disc, and a DVD recital, but I think I've found the disc I will to suggest to Eloquence for reissue: a late 70s DG disc of LvB (Op 101), Schumann (Toccata), and Ravel (Gaspard).  Hopefully he records more for Decca.

On a purchase related note, I bought this on Amazon MP from a seller I will try to avoid going forward.  The delivery was delayed a couple times, and it was supposed to be Prime, and the condition notes did not mention that it was ex-library.  When I opened the package, my heart sank upon seeing Cuyahoga County Library emblazoned on stickers on the case and on the disc.  Fortunately, it appears this specific disc was very unpopular as the surface had only two tiny, light scratches and plays just fine.

[arpeggio]

Sweet Jesus!  Jorge Luis Prats' so far sole Decca recital from 2011 is a knock-out.  A Cuban, he was long relegated to touring Soviet bloc countries only, only reemerging into the international scene last decade, and he has made only a handful of recordings.  This one of Spanish and Latin American solo piano music, taken from a single recital with no patching, is just phenomenal.  I've heard a fair number of recordings of Goyescas, but none sound so spontaneous and comfortable as this.  Sure, some others play with a bit more tonal nuance some of the time, and yes, Prats puts El Pelele fifth in the sequence and then plays El Amor y la muerte last, and drops Epilogo altogether, but the pianist offers his rationale, which is basically this: why do you need an epilogue when the lovers are dead?  A shoot-out is in order.  The disc then moves to Villa-Lobos Bachiana brasleira No 4.  I've got little Villa-Lobos solo piano music in my collection, but the little I have is superb, capped by Nelson Freire's discs for Teldec and Decca, though he doesn't play this work.  Prats is very close to Freire's equal.  The three short works by three different Cuban composers are likewise masterful.  Superb sound.

As to other recordings, there's a Rach 2 & 3 out there, a Grieg/Dohnanyi/Litolff disc, and a DVD recital, but I think I've found the disc I will to suggest to Eloquence for reissue: a late 70s DG disc of LvB (Op 101), Schumann (Toccata), and Ravel (Gaspard).  Hopefully he records more for Decca.

On a purchase related note, I bought this on Amazon MP from a seller I will try to avoid going forward.  The delivery was delayed a couple times, and it was supposed to be Prime, and the condition notes did not mention that it was ex-library.  When I opened the package, my heart sank upon seeing Cuyahoga County Library emblazoned on stickers on the case and on the disc.  Fortunately, it appears this specific disc was very unpopular as the surface had only two tiny, light scratches and plays just fine.

I get that this is an outstanding performance.  Great.  Question.  Which of the works on the CD are new pieces for you?

[Todd]

I get that this is an outstanding performance.  Great.  Question.  Which of the works on the CD are new pieces for you?

The three pieces by the three Cuban composers Farinas, Cervantes, and Lecuona.

[arpeggio]

This CD was first released back in 2001:

[asin]B000051Y05[/asin]

I just picked it up at a second hand CD shop $2.

Now that I am listening to it I regret not acquiring it when it was first released in 2001 

[aleazk]

Can't stop listening to "Trans" (for orchestra and tape) by Stockhausen today.

Went for a walk and put it on my phone on loop. It's so fucking great 

I saw it live last year. The orchestra played behind some sort of semi transparent curtain and the only light was an intense purple one. All of this as per Stockhausen's instructions in the score. The idea is to generate a dream like atmosphere. I must say it indeed gave that exact feeling!

[Mirror Image]

I saw it live last year. The orchestra played behind some sort of semi transparent curtain and the only light was an intense purple one. All of this as per Stockhausen's instructions in the score. The idea is to generate a dream like atmosphere. I must say it indeed gave that exact feeling!

To the bolded text, it'd have to be a dream, because that would be the only way I'd listen to Stockhausen. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

[Mirror Image]

The work is inspired and based on a dream Stockhausen had, and is therefore also intended to evoke a surreal dream-like feeling, which is most definitely achieves. I think this may be the key to the whole aesthetic of his work actually!

I think you missed the point: I dislike Stockhausen.

[Mirror Image]

I've known that since I first met you 

[kyjo]

Bartok's early (late-romantic) Piano Quintet. Wow! I was not expecting to be so blown away by it, especially after not having been too impressed with Kossuth, another one of his early works. Check out this exhilarating performance by Janine Jansen and friends: https://youtu.be/QpT0CvuDCQI

[king ubu]

Heinz Holliger's violin concerto - both as recorded with Thomas Zehetmair (on ECM) and as heard in concert with Patricia Kopatchinskaja (both conducted by Holliger himself).

Also promted me to start exploring Louis Soutter's graphic works ... I've seen the odd painting in museums here and there, but never really got into his style all that much. Big catalogue was sent to a friend in Germany (why do so many amazon marketplace vendors only ship within the country of the respective amazon site? I'm afraid if that goes on as it did in the past months, in a year I can no longer order like that at all).

[mahler10th]

I heard Schelomo, The Hebraic Rhapsody for cello and orchestra for the first time by Ernst Bloch today (Isserlis on Cello) and thought very highly of it!  My radar is now tweaked in Blochs' direction...just...better watch out his tobacco pipe keeps out the damn way of my research...

[North Star]

I heard Schelomo, The Hebraic Rhapsody for cello and orchestra for the first time by Ernst Bloch today (Isserlis on Cello) and thought very highly of it!  My radar is now tweaked in Blochs' direction...just...better watch out his tobacco pipe keeps out the damn way of my research...

Piano Quintet no. 1!
https://www.youtube.com/v/64PqvXPqt0g

[mahler10th]

Piano Quintet no. 1!
https://www.youtube.com/v/64PqvXPqt0g

Wow.  A Piano Quintet with depth and character and some kind of angst or anger...he must have been going through a hell of a time in 1923!

[andolink]

This 3-disc set arrived Wednesday and I put on the first piece on disc one and...OMG...absolutely breathtakingly beautiful--

Salvatore Sciarrino: Variazioni for violoncello and orchestra (1974)
Francesco Dillon, cello
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI/Tito Ceccherini

[kyjo]

Piano Quintet no. 1!
https://www.youtube.com/v/64PqvXPqt0g

Yes!! One of the finest chamber works I know. The ending is like finally reaching the light at the end of a dark, dark tunnel - very moving.

[Mirror Image]

I heard Schelomo, The Hebraic Rhapsody for cello and orchestra for the first time by Ernst Bloch today (Isserlis on Cello) and thought very highly of it!  My radar is now tweaked in Blochs' direction...just...better watch out his tobacco pipe keeps out the damn way of my research...

Of course, this is a different Bloch you have posted --- the one you have posted is the Marxist philosopher. This is the Bloch you're referring to:



But both men enjoyed their pipes --- that's for sure.

[GioCar]

This 3-disc set arrived Wednesday and I put on the first piece on disc one and...OMG...absolutely breathtakingly beautiful--

Salvatore Sciarrino: Variazioni for violoncello and orchestra (1974)
Francesco Dillon, cello
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI/Tito Ceccherini

A great set! Wait tiil you reach disc 3, the most beautiful gems are there imo.

[The new erato]

Unfortunate thread title. The film music for Irma la Douce by Andre Previn perhaps. Wishing all in the southern US the best.

[Daverz]

Piano Quintet no. 1!
https://www.youtube.com/v/64PqvXPqt0g

Violin Sonata No. 1 is a good follow up.  Shaham & Erez are very good.

[asin]B0007DBXGU[/asin]

[Xenophanes]

One of the biggest mistake a newbie makes is starting a thread that already exists.  So I checked this out so I hope this a new idea

My music library is based on breath instead of depth.  Instead of fifty recordings of Beethoven's Fifth I would prefer to have fifty recordings of different symphonies. 

Since I am always on the lookout for new composers and music one of my favorite threads in another forum is "Pieces that have blown you away recently".  This is a thread where a person can post their experiences with a new work they have never heard before or a new composer.

This would not be a thread for a person who already has fifty recordings of Beethoven's Fifth and he just acquired his fifty-first.  This thread is for a person who had never heard Beethoven's Fifth and his initial exposure to it was awesome.

I will start by talking about recent discovery for me.

I subscribe to the BBC Music Magazine.  One of the there CD's had some piano music of Ravel and Faure.  I am not a fan of Faure.  When the Faure train left the station I was not on it.  This recording of some of his barcarolles and nocturnes blew me away. 

Sibelius, Luonnotar ----- sopranos: Mattila, Isokoski, Bryn-Julson, Soederstrom

I had heard Luonnotar before, but I recently really began to look into the text and I listened to some really stunning recordings of this piece, which must be some of the most demanding music for soprano.