What are you listening 2 now?

[Symphonic Addict]

Continuing on the 20th Century Express

This series of Arnold chamber music is really good.

[VonStupp]

Percy Grainger
Works for Chorus and Orchestra

Sydney Chamber Choir
Melbourne SO & Choir - Sir Andrew Davis

I found this in my to-be-listened-to pile, from the late Andrew Davis.
VS

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

GRIGORY GINZBURG. LIVE RECORDINGS AT MOSCOW CONSERVATORY.

[JBS]

Moving forward in time


I find Fearful Symmetries to be more interesting than City Noir. It might be described as an expanded and bulked up Shaker Loops.

[Symphonic Addict]

Silvestrov: String Quartets 1 and 2

I'm not properly a fan of this composer, but these two works sounded good to me and he's got a pretty identifiable voice/style. As usual with him, the feeling of gloomy melancholy pervades the whole pieces. The 1st quartet features more turbulence around its second half, nevertheless. This is not music to listen to often, much less in rainy days, it may get a little depressing.

[Madiel]

Prokofiev: The Prodigal Son



And here endeth the Ballets Russes. There's still one CD to go, of 'historical recordings', but that will have to wait a few months.

I'm very glad I purchased this set. For many of the works I don't know another performance, but it seems pretty solid and I was impressed with the sound quality of the recordings from as far back as the 1950s (sometimes they sound slightly better than the ones from the 1960s!).

As much as anything I appreciate the survey of history, even with all the gaps it's very instructive. Ballets Russes radically changed the course of dance.

I definitely want to go back and listen more carefully to the less familiar works or sets of works. Pretty well all of it seemed worth becoming more familiar with.

[Symphonic Addict]

Pejacevic: Piano Quintet in B minor

Various works I've listened by her qualify as potential masterpieces, and this solid, formidable quintet is surely one of those. The performers are the same as on the Goldmark's Piano Quintet No. 1 I listened to the other day, playing with complete mastery and understanding of the score.

[JBS]

Beginning the Schubert segment of Decca's Haebler Phillips Legacy set

Sonata 3 in E Major D459
Sonata 4 in a minor D537
Sonata 7 in E Flat Major D568
Sonata 9 in B Major D575
Sonata 13 in A Major D664
6 Moments Musicaux D780

[Symphonic Addict]

Moeran: Serenade in G major

Why is not this delectable composition better known? There is much English air permeating each of its 8 movements. Quite enjoyable.




Smetana: Piano Trio

A brilliant interpretation of this masterpiece. Two years ago I attended a concert of this ensemble that played works by Schumann, Brahms and Ravel. Needless to say it was riveting.

[Maestro267]

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11
ONdlRF/Cluytens

It was fine till it got to the finale. For some reason the opening of the closing section with those portentious tam-tam/bass drum strokes before the bass clarinet comes in, the music switched to mono for a bit, almost like Shostakovich asked for that to be done on pre-recorded tape a la Schnittke or Bernstein. Orchestra completely lost their unity in the actual closing section with the bells. And for some reason every cymbal part was suspended, even the ones that should've been crash cymbals. Could they not afford a second cymbal or something?

[Que]

[Daverz]

Moeran: Serenade in G major

Why is not this delectable composition better known? There is much English air permeating each of its 8 movements.

Apparently Moeran's publisher felt the work was too long and suggested dropping the Intermezzo and Forlana movements. 

[vandermolen]

Franz Schmidt Symphony No. 4 in C Major "Requiem für meine Tochter"Vienna Symphony Orchestra Rudolf Moralt and  Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln, Julius Patzak; Otto Wiener; Hanny Steffek; Hertha Töpper; Erich Majkut; Frederick Guthrie; Franz Illenberger; Graz Cathedral Choir; Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Anton Lippe

Looks like a most interesting release.

[vandermolen]

Bantock: Celtic Symphony for string orchestra and six harps (1940) - a hauntingly beautiful work which I've had the pleasure of seeing live (with all six harps!)
RPO, Vernon Handley:

[Harry]

Mily Balakirev.
Complete Piano Music.
Volume II.
Waltzes, Nocturnes and other Works.
See back cover for details.

Continuing this series, for which I have the highest regard.

[aukhawk]

Nikhil Banerjee
...
No compromises about the length or duration of the raga, as in ancient India these concerts at the various courts often lasted even much longer.In this case the duration of this raga is 57 minutes.

The longest recorded single raga in my collection is 79m37 - Rag Kanara Prakaar played on Sarod by Ali Akbar Khan and issued as a double LP by Connoisseur Society.  It is 40 minutes before the tabla is introduced, which is quite a hard sell on a Sarod, which doesn't have the natural resonance of a Sitar or a Veena.

There were several long ragas issued on the Nimbus label - a wonderful drawn-out 79m Rag Lalit played on flute by Hariprasad Chaurasia is the longest I've seen but I have several other recordings on Nimbus where a single raga performance is well over 70 minutes.  Typical of Nimbus recordings, these all suffer a bit from distant microphone placement.  Although there is a lot of Indian music on YouTube, I haven't found anything longer than these.

[Traverso]

The longest recorded single raga in my collection is 79m37 - Rag Kanara Prakaar played on Sarod by Ali Akbar Khan and issued as a double LP by Connoisseur Society.  It is 40 minutes before the tabla is introduced, which is quite a hard sell on a Sarod, which doesn't have the natural resonance of a Sitar or a Veena.

There were several long ragas issued on the Nimbus label - a wonderful drawn-out 79m Rag Lalit played on flute by Hariprasad Chaurasia is the longest I've seen but I have several other recordings on Nimbus where a single raga performance is well over 70 minutes.  Typical of Nimbus recordings, these all suffer a bit from distant microphone placement.  Although there is a lot of Indian music on YouTube, I haven't found anything longer than these.

You are right about the Nimbus recordings, they are excellent recordings but they sound a bit clean, but you get used to it quickly.

[Traverso]

CD 5

Well, these ragas are all very short and certainly not in line with the views of Nikhil Banerjee who had an almost uncompromising view and made no concessions to the listener by presenting ragas as bite-sized chunks to a Western audience. However, this does not mean that these recordings with Ravi Shankar would not have their value. His great ability to improvise and ingenuity are beyond dispute.

[Lisztianwagner]

Claude Debussy
Images pour orchestre

Jean Martinon & Orchestre National De l'ORTF

[Spotted Horses]

Rachmaninoff, Preludes Op 31 (first three), Ruth Laredo.



Gorgeous.