Pieces that have blown you away recently

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

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knight66

https://www.amazon.com/Rotterdam-Philharmonic-Orchestra-Collection-CD/dp/B07C5H8DPN


Five CDs, live performances of and chosen by Yannick Nezet Seguin.DG

I bought this set a few months ago via Amazon UK at much less than advertised here. I kept it in the car for long journeys and only this week brought it into the house to listen properly. And I was and have again been blown away by several of the performances. The Mahler 10 is as good as I know of. The pain in it is so visceral and he also manages great tenderness. I suggest the conductor explores these extremes very completely, in this and in other works, yet it never feels worked up or artificial.

Just as good is the Shosta 4th and a really wonderful Bruckner 8th. Now, away from car and traffic noices, I can concentrate on the Debussy Nocturnes which are aptly fluid and entrancing. The Dvorak 8th is songful and lyrical, I enjoyed it very much. The surprise, a new piece recorded on its world premier, is Turnage's Piano concerto played by Marc-Andre Hamelin. Thoroughly enjoyable with a middle movement that provides a real change from Turnage's usual energetic style. It deserves wide attention.

I have for some time been looking out for Nezet-Seguin's recordings, so this was a real find for me. I would be very happy if more miscelanious groups of his performances find their way to us. This was like getting three year's major releases all at once.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

Ghost of Baron Scarpia

#641
A piece by Martinu, Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Bassoon, Violin, Cello and orchestra. Hickox and the London Sinfonietta. I am not aware of another recording of this piece. There is an earlier wo by Martinu called Sinfonia Concertante but it is a different piece. This one was written in 1949, I think



It is a really amazing piece. It has the general organization of a Baroque Concerto Grosso, but reimagined in 20th century style. The usual baroque techniques are there, tutti vs concertante contrasts, melodic sequence, etc, but with a modern harmonic intensity. Really a wonderful work. I discovered it along side another fine work, the double concerto or two string orchestras, piano and timpani, which is also recorded by Hickox, but which I think gets its best performance by Conlon and the Orchestra National de France.

Sergeant Rock

the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

arpeggio

Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 15, 2018, 11:29:01 AM
A piece by Martinu, Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Bassoon, Violin, Cello and orchestra. Hickox and the London Sinfonietta. I am not aware of another recording of this piece. There is an earlier wo by Martinu called Sinfonia Concertante but it is a different piece. This one was written in 1949, I think



It is a really amazing piece. It has the general organization of a Baroque Concerto Grosso, but reimagined in 20th century style. The usual baroque techniques are there, tutti vs concertante contrasts, melodic sequence, etc, but with a modern harmonic intensity. Really a wonderful work. I discovered it along side another fine work, the double concerto or two string orchestras, piano and timpani, which is also recorded by Hickox, but which I think gets its best performance by Conlon and the Orchestra National de France.

Curse you.  A Martinu work I do not have.  I just ordered it. ;D

Archaic Torso of Apollo

Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 15, 2018, 11:29:01 AM
A piece by Martinu, Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Bassoon, Violin, Cello and orchestra. Hickox and the London Sinfonietta. I am not aware of another recording of this piece

I love that piece! It seems to be obscure even to Martinu fans. It's Martinu in his best "feelgood" mode.
formerly VELIMIR (before that, Spitvalve)

"Who knows not strict counterpoint, lives and dies an ignoramus" - CPE Bach

Ghost of Baron Scarpia

Quote from: arpeggio on October 15, 2018, 01:35:19 PM
Curse you.  A Martinu work I do not have.  I just ordered it. ;D

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did (as as much as I will again this evening, hopefully).

Mirror Image

Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 15, 2018, 11:29:01 AM
A piece by Martinu, Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Bassoon, Violin, Cello and orchestra. Hickox and the London Sinfonietta. I am not aware of another recording of this piece. There is an earlier wo by Martinu called Sinfonia Concertante but it is a different piece. This one was written in 1949, I think



It is a really amazing piece. It has the general organization of a Baroque Concerto Grosso, but reimagined in 20th century style. The usual baroque techniques are there, tutti vs concertante contrasts, melodic sequence, etc, but with a modern harmonic intensity. Really a wonderful work. I discovered it along side another fine work, the double concerto or two string orchestras, piano and timpani, which is also recorded by Hickox, but which I think gets its best performance by Conlon and the Orchestra National de France.

I have this 2-CD set somewhere. I must pull it out. The best I can remember of this work is it's textbook Neoclassical Martinů. Apparently, there's two Sinfonia Concertante pieces as there's another one composed for two orchestras that has been recorded by Bělohlávek (on Supraphon).

knight66

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on October 15, 2018, 12:26:31 PM
Damn you, Knight  ;) That box is really tempting.

Sarge

If you get it, let me know what you think.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

DaveF

Telemann: Overture-Suite for 3 oboes and strings, TWV55:D15, from the big Telemann Masterworks box.  This is so good! - the Overture like Bach at his orchestral best, the other movements perhaps more Handelian... the Loure is a gem, with a hair-raising and entirely nonchalant set of modulations in the middle (D major - B minor - F major (!) - E, A and back to D).  The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra do the honours.
"All the world is birthday cake" - George Harrison

arpeggio

One of the groups I play with is the National Concert Band of America. Our next concert is on October 28th. One of the works we have programed is a work that is new to me. The Chorale and Shaker Dance by John P. Zdechlik. I am only familiar with one of Zdechlik's chamber works.


Link to recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUeft1Wehv0

Link to information about work: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorale_and_Shaker_Dance

Ghost of Baron Scarpia

Egon Wellesz, Symphony No 2. Wow!



This is a work which, according the album notes anyway, is basically atonal but flirts with tonality. In any case, it is a work from the mid 20th century which very clearly follows the classical scheme for a symphony (Allegro, Scherzo, Slow movement, Allegro finale). The music draws from all of the compositional techniques known at the time to create what sounds like a "romantic" symphony with amplified intensity. The first movement has two distinct theme groups, reminded me a bit of a Bruckner symphony. The music is melodic, dramatic, at times shockingly dissonant. Use of the orchestra, especially the brass section, is revelatory. The second movement is a scherzo which consists largely of imitative counterpoint, both in the main section and in a central trio-like structure. The third movement is a song-like slow movement and the final returns to the mood of the opening movement, with in infusion of the imitative counterpoint that was introduced in the Scherzo.

I have come to think of this piece as one of the masterpieces of the 20th century. (I had a similar enthusiastic reaction to Wellesz Symphony No 1 when I listened to it early this year.)

DaveF

Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on October 21, 2018, 08:10:31 AM
This is a work which, according the album notes anyway, is basically atonal but flirts with tonality.

The first movement has two distinct theme groups, reminded me a bit of a Bruckner symphony.

Have they got that the wrong way round?  Surely "basically tonal, but flirts with atonality".  There's not much in it that would have made Bruckner's hair stand on end, if he'd had any.  And to my ears, the first movement has 3 themes, if you count that dotted coda-like one at the end of the exposition, so even more Brucknerian.  And yes, agreed, it's a terrifically enjoyable piece, and would make a great "guess the composer" quiz to bamboozle the averagely knowledgeable listener.
"All the world is birthday cake" - George Harrison

Ghost of Baron Scarpia

Quote from: DaveF on October 22, 2018, 02:47:37 AM
Have they got that the wrong way round?  Surely "basically tonal, but flirts with atonality".  There's not much in it that would have made Bruckner's hair stand on end, if he'd had any.  And to my ears, the first movement has 3 themes, if you count that dotted coda-like one at the end of the exposition, so even more Brucknerian.  And yes, agreed, it's a terrifically enjoyable piece, and would make a great "guess the composer" quiz to bamboozle the averagely knowledgeable listener.

My impression is similar. A lot of passages seem like extended tonal harmony, but then things suddenly go haywire. Perhaps atonal in the sense of "I'll do whatever pleases me, including passages that seem to resemble tonal harmony, until they don't."

I'm going to listen to this one another time or two before I move on. Looking forward to going through the entire cycle, but not at once.

Omicron9

I recently discovered Scriabin's Poemes.  Have always dug his PS, but these are new to me, and I have the CD on repeat.  This is the Ohlsson recording.  Recommended!

-09
"Signature-line free since 2017!"

Florestan

#654
Beethoven - Hammerklavier Sonata

How I could ignore this masterpiece for so long is beyond me.
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

JBS

Quote from: Omicron9 on October 30, 2018, 06:05:07 AM
I recently discovered Scriabin's Poemes.  Have always dug his PS, but these are new to me, and I have the CD on repeat.  This is the Ohlsson recording.  Recommended!

-09

Try Ponti.

Hollywood Beach Broadwalk

arpeggio

Quote from: Florestan on October 30, 2018, 06:08:10 AM
Beethoven - Hammerklavier Sonata

How I could ignore this masterpiece for so long is beyond me.

I am not surprised.  There are so many great works it is impossible to know everything.  Like I have just recently become familiar with the string quartets of Haydn.

Karl Henning

Quote from: arpeggio on November 01, 2018, 06:08:51 AM
[...]  Like I have just recently become familiar with the string quartets of Haydn.

Although I may be ahead of you there, I am not way ahead of you  :)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Omicron9

Quote from: JBS on October 31, 2018, 06:39:35 PM
Try Ponti.

Thanks for that; it's now in my Amazon cart.  How would you summarize the different performances?
"Signature-line free since 2017!"

mr. mojo

I have in the last couple days been really impressed with a Dvorak Violin Concerto MONO on the Heliodor Label From Johanna Martzy with Fricsay Conducting and also the Scheherezade with Stokowski Conducting on the Decca Label.