What are you listening 2 now?

[Harry]

NIKOLAI MEDTNER (1880-1951)

Violin Sonata No.1 in B minor, Op. 21 & Violin Sonata No.2 in G major, Op.44.

Lydia Mordkovitch, (Лидия Мордкович) Violin, Geoffrey Tozer, Piano.

Recorded: The School of St Helen and St Katharine, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, 1993.

This is such an enjoyable experience for me, who could possibly resist Lydia Mordkovitch? Top notch performance and sound. Medtner gets a royal treatment, by the Queen of the Violin.

[vandermolen]

Leevi Madetoja.
See back cover for the works on this CD.
Recorded: Helsinki Music Centre, 2012.

It must be said that these performances are superb in every respect. I will in due course also sample the Petri Sakari interpretations on Chandos Collect, but for now I am very pleased. SOTA sound.

It's worth having both sets Harry.

[Harry]

It's worth having both sets Harry.

Fortunately they are both on Qobuz, and my wife demands after an investment in equipment, that I only stream, unless it's Salmenhaara    

[Que]

[Mirror Image]

Various works from this Lyadov disc of orchestral works with Sinaisky and the BBC Philharmonic:

[Lisztianwagner]

On youtube, first listen to:

Giacomo Puccini
La Fanciulla del West

Zubin Mehta & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

[VonStupp]

Anatoly Lyadov
Choral Music

Academy of Russian Music Chamber Choir
Ivan Nikiforchin

Apparently @Mirror Image and I will be listening to Liadov today.

Most of these are a cappella, but the last quarter have other special instruments, including four-hand harmonium and eight handed pianos for orchestral reductions. It would be nice to have the orchestrations, but these are rare enough as it is.
VS

[Mirror Image]

On youtube, first listen to:

Giacomo Puccini
La Fanciulla del West

Zubin Mehta & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

I wish you were listening to this performance instead of the Mehta:

[Harry]

John Blackwood McEwen.
Piano Music-Solo.
Geoffrey Tozer, Piano.
Recorded: 2000, Venue Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk.

The Preludes or the Sonatina sound so fragrant, delicate and enigmatic, as if Debussy,  Satie, and Liszt, had joined forces. That's in a nutshell what you get. I am for one enamoured and captured by his sound world. I started some time ago with the SQ, and they also made a big impression on me, closely followed by his orchestral works, which had a even greater impact on me. McEwen is not a household name, but a composer that has something significant to say, at least to me. I started buying his music when the first CD was released by Hyperion, and never regretting any of it. Jonathan Cooper made a very good recording of it, and Tozer is just the man to give credence to the music.

[Spotted Horses]

Martinu, Viola Sonata, Duo for Violin and Viola No 2.



Enjoyed both pieces, connected better to the Violin and Viola Duo. I enjoy the related genre of Violin/Cello duo, which has been used by Martinu, Ravel and others. Will have to come back for the Duo No 1 (Three Madrigals).

Odd that the three Madrigals are recorded much more often than the second Duo. I noticed that I have a recording of the second Duo with cello playing the viola part. I will have to try that, and perhaps the BIS release of the same music.

[Harry]

Camille Saint-Saens.
Piano Quartets.
See back cover for the works and performers on this CD.
Recorded in 2007. No PDF file with this CD.

The musicians on this disc are deeply involved in the music, that's clear from the start. The acoustics, wherever this is, is captured in almost SOTA sound. The details fly around your ears, thus the intricate writing of Saint Saens, is displayed at great advantage to the music. Besides, I think these works belong to the very best he could write. The balance in the performance between the musicians is a labour of love, and they coax so many melodies and harmonies out all the crevices, that it makes sense in all aspects.

[Lisztianwagner]

I wish you were listening to this performance instead of the Mehta:

Sorry, not knowing any performance, I didn't have particular ideas what to choose, the Mehta was the first recording I found and it looked good.

[Mirror Image]

Camille Saint-Saens.
Piano Quartets.
See back cover for the works and performers on this CD.
Recorded in 2007. No PDF file with this CD.

The musicians on this disc are deeply involved in the music, that's clear from the start. The acoustics, wherever this is, is captured in almost SOTA sound. The details fly around your ears, thus the intricate writing of Saint Saens, is displayed at great advantage to the music. Besides, I think these works belong to the very best he could write. The balance in the performance between the musicians is a labour of love, and they coax so many melodies and harmonies out all the crevices, that it makes sense in all aspects.

Lovely, Harry. I'm a huge fan of Saint-Saëns. His chamber music is positively delightful in every respect. (Of course, I love his orchestral, concerti, solo piano and operatic music as well).

[Mirror Image]

Sorry, not knowing any performance, I didn't have particular ideas what to choose, the Mehta was the first recording I found and it looked good.

No worries, but I hope you didn't get too deeply into the Mehta, because trust me when I say this: the particular performance I recommended gave me a newfound admiration for Puccini (not that I disliked his music before).

[Linz]

Elgar The Apostles, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, David Rendall, Rodrick Elms, Richard Hickox

[Pohjolas Daughter]

On youtube, first listen to:

Giacomo Puccini
La Fanciulla del West

Zubin Mehta & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Glad that you are having fun exploring some Puccini!  Have you heard many of his operas before now?

PD

[Spotted Horses]

Sorry, not knowing any performance, I didn't have particular ideas what to choose, the Mehta was the first recording I found and it looked good.

In the 50's Decca made a series of recordings of Italian Opera with Santa Cecilia, often with Renata Debaldi, Mario del Monaco, and often with Previtali or Molinari-Pradelli conducting. They are considered by many to be the epitome of golden-age Italian Opera performance. My brother is a big fan of them, and he explained to me that orchestras like to Berlin Philharmonic are incapable of playing these works properly because they are too good. Santa Cecilia could supply the borderline out-of-control feeling in the climactic passages that is the heart of Italian Opera performance.

Of course, for most fans it is Tebaldi's voice that is the selling point. All a matter of personal preference, of course.

[Bachtoven]

Well, this is a huge disappointment. Aho is one of my favorite contemporary composers, but his Guitar Concerto wasn't worth putting on paper as far as I'm concerned. Way too much reliance on open strings for one (the opening just requires the guitarist to pluck/strum the 3 open treble strings--my, how inventive). There are a few passages that caught my ear, but he never really explores what the instrument can do. He wrote a solo guitar work that was far more interesting, so I don't know what went wrong here. The Horn Quintet is a little better, but still pretty meh for me. His completion of the final fugue from Bach's "Art of Fugue" is very good. Maybe others will enjoy this recording more than I did.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Inspired by some others here, I listened to Martinu's first sonata for viola (via youtube).  Enjoyed it!

Well, this is a huge disappointment. Aho is one of my favorite contemporary composers, but his Guitar Concerto wasn't worth putting on paper as far as I'm concerned. Way too much reliance on open strings for one (the opening just requires the guitarist to pluck/strum the 3 open treble strings--my, how inventive). There are a few passages that caught my ear, but he never really explores what the instrument can do. He wrote a solo guitar work that was far more interesting, so I don't know what went wrong here. The Horn Quintet is a little better, but still pretty meh for me. His completion of the final fugue from Bach's "Art of Fugue" is very good. Maybe others will enjoy this recording more than I did.

Ah, sorry to hear that.  Will see if I can find some samples of it.

PD

[brewski]

Another excellent live concert from Frankfurt. Coming up soon, Bruckner 6.

-Bruce