What are you listening 2 now?

[foxandpeng]

David Matthews
Complete String Quartets
Volume 1
SQs 4, 6 and 10
Kreutzer Quartet
Toccata Classics

Prompted by the composer thread 🙂

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Verdi
La Traviata
Renata Scotto, Sarah Walker, Cynthia Buchan, Alfredo Kraus et. al.
Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus & Band of the Royal Marines
Riccardo Muti

From this OOP set -

[Bachtoven]

Very good playing and sound. The seeming 6 or so people in the audience for the two sonatas seemed to enjoy it, too. (The concerto has a larger audience.)

[Keemun]

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Kirill Gerstein, piano/Semyon Bychkov/Czech Philharmonic)



I've recently started listening to, and enjoying, Tchaikovsky's other piano concerto.  I really like this recording.

[Symphonic Addict]

Widor: Organ Symphonies 9 and 10

Finishing this set. A thrilling sonic experience. There are other organ pieces, but I'll leave them for another occasion.




Reger: String Quartets 2 and 3

The 3rd SQ is a monumental piece meticulously written. It was good, but also a bit overlong.

[Mirror Image]

Now playing Shostakovich's Leningrad with Barshai leading the WDR Sinfonieorchester --- from this set:



The Adagio movement needs more pathos, but overall, this is a pretty good performance. I wouldn't say it's a favorite, but Bernstein (DG), Svetlanov (Melodiya) and Rozhdestvensky (Melodiya) are still my go-to performances for the 7th.

[Daverz]

The more I listened to Villa-Lobos, the less I liked his music, so I've given it a rest of several years...

Igor Stravinsky once asked, "Why is it that whenever I hear a piece of music i don't like, it's always by Villa-Lobos?" I think it was a rhetorical question, but I'll answer anyway: it's because you were a nasty old fart, Igor.

[Mirror Image]

Igor Stravinsky once asked, "Why is it that whenever I hear a piece of music i don't like, it's always by Villa-Lobos?" I think it was a rhetorical question, but I'll answer anyway: it's because you were a nasty old fart, Igor.

Stravinsky loved ripping on other composers, but he's certainly not the only one. Anyway, Villa-Lobos is one of my favorite composers (and so is Stravinsky), so, in my mind, they both exist in my world and give me pleasure.

[Mirror Image]

Last night, I had a rather troubling nightmare --- a purplish-red force of nature spread across the world and left nothing but decay in it's wake, so naturally tonight I wanted to close out the night with something similarly eerie...

NP:

Ligeti
Requiem
Liliana Poli, Barbro Erison
Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sinfonie-Orchester des Hessischen Rundfunks
Michael Gielen

[Mirror Image]

Last work for the night:

Liszt
Litanies de Marie, S171e
Leslie Howard

From this set -

[AnotherSpin]

Op. 106

[Mandryka]

Is this LP only?  I had no idea that Francescatti had recorded these Schubert pieces.

As far as I know yes, I can let you have a transfer if you PM me.

[Harry]

Donna s'Amor m'Invita.
L'Arte Vocale e Strumentale dell 'Ars Nova Italiano.
Works by: Johannes Ciconia & Francesco Landini.
Continens Paradisi.
Recorded: 2020. No PDF file attached to this CD. Also without back cover.

I have listen to quite a few recordings by Continens Paradisi, but this one strikes me as a tad above what I heard so far. The flow in singing is effortlessly, and the line of text is as clear as a bell, tone perfect, and well integrated into the instrumental fabric. Sound is superb.

[Spotted Horses]

Reger: String Quartet in D minor, WoO 2 and String Quartet No. 1, op. 54-1

Seriously meaty pieces. This CPO recording of the early quartet doesn't sound good. On the other hand, the MDG one is splendid in every sense.

I remember that cpo series having sound that was rather reverberant in an unpleasant way. I agree the MDG set is probably the best overall, but there is also the Drolc quartet traversal, skillfully performed with rather dry, slightly strident audio, as was typical from DG at the time (early 70's, I think). No longer in print, I think, but used copies floating around.

[Harry]

Sonate concertate in stil moderno
Works by Dario Castello,(1590–1658) & Giovanni Battista Fontana, 1571-1630)
Recorded in 2008, at the Propstei St.Gerold, Austria.
See front and back covers for details.

This is really an outstanding release. Perfect in every way, be it the music, performance or sound. A real pleasure to listen to and to have, for lovers of this era, it's really a must. Recommended!

[Que]

Stunning, as always.

[Harry]

GABRIEL PIERNÉ (1863 –1937).
Piano Quintet in E minor Op 41 (1916).

LOUIS VIERNE. (1870 –1937).
String Quartet in D minor Op 12 (1894).

PIERS LANE, Piano.
GOLDNER STRING QUARTET.

A very good performance, and recording of both works.

[Harry]

Kurt Atterberg.
Orchestral Works, Volume 5.
Symphony No.7, Op. 45 'Sinfonia romantica' (1941 –42).
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi.
Recorded: 2015, Concert Hall, Gothenburg, Sweden.

The last volume in this series which I enjoyed immensely. Sadly enough I had to ignore the Symphony No.9, op.54 »Sinfonia visionaria«, It's a work with extensive vocals, and for me that is a no go zone. The 7th however is free of that, and it's glorious, devastatingly beautiful and comes in SOTA sound.

[Harry]

Edmund Rubbra.
Complete Symphonies.
Symphony No.1, opus 44, & No.2, opus 45.
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Richard Hickox.
Recorded in 1995-96, Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales.

Starting again with this wonderful cycle, and starting with the first CD. SOTA sound and performance.

[DavidW]