What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

Birthday Boy!

Stravinsky
Le sacre du printemps
CSO
Seiji Ozawa

Having freshly impressed me on this listening, there's something I've got to say, at the risk of seeming to resurrect the hopelessly circular soundtrack discussion. Stravinsky's Introduction to Part II has shape and vital signs throughout. It goes somewhere, and it is a living thing going there. The soundtrack homage on Tatooine is like a sample rendered as a static element for a backdrop. As, of course,  it ought, the story is visual.

[Linz]

Johann Sebastian Bach  Organ Works Vol. 07, Gerhard Weinberger (Trost-Orgel Schlosskirche Altenburg)

[Linz]

Joseph-Guy Ropartz Symphonies Nos 1 & 4 - Sebastian Lang-Lessing, Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy , Sebastian Lang-Lessing

[kyjo]

John Foulds: Cello Sonata
One of my very favourite pieces of chamber music - memorable, original, engaging and moving in an understated way. I can't recommend it highly enough:

Absolutely, Jeffrey. For my money, it is one of the most compelling cello sonatas in the entire repertoire, yet is inexplicably unknown. At least we can be thankful for the wonderful above recording by the Watkins brothers for Chandos. That glorious main theme in the last movement is just one of those tunes that I have more or less permanently stuck in my head! I want to learn and perform this piece sometime in the near future, but the tough part will be finding a pianist willing to take it on...

[Le Buisson Ardent]

NP:

Piston
Symphony No. 7
Oregon Symphony
Carlos Kalmar



Truly impressed with all of the Piston symphonies I have in my collection. He never disappoints. I've read some criticism of him as being a "dry, academic" composer before I heard a note of his music and then I heard Tilson Thomas' recording of Symphony No. 2 and thought "Those naysayers haven't a clue as to what they're even talking about" and I believe they still don't.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Birthday Boy!

Stravinsky
Le sacre du printemps
CSO
Seiji Ozawa

Seems like you like Ozawa in general.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

Seems like you like Ozawa in general.

And with good reason! Ozawa's Le sacre is off-the-chain great! But, also, he has done so many wonderful recordings throughout the years.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Stravinsky: Firebird and Petrushka. Stokowski/Berlin.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

P.S. @Dry Brett Kavanaugh it's nice to see you back as Robert Johnson.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

P.S. @Dry Brett Kavanaugh it's nice to see you back as Robert Johnson.

John, welcome back!

[Le Buisson Ardent]

John, welcome back!

Thank you, Manabu!

[Brian]

This is Rachmaninov Symphony No 2 with Kirill Petrenko.
22:13 (if you subtract the repeat, the timing would be 18:24)
9:38
13:35
13:26

This is an exceptional live performance, one that would have sent me into ecstasy had I been there. As a recording, it's maybe more like A- but the quibbles are small. The orchestra is gorgeous and refined; I love the occasional use of portamento to revive Rachmaninov's era of high romanticism. Tempos are always flowing but they do not feel fast - in fact sometimes they feel slower than normal when they're not, just because Petrenko is so willing to "sell" the really indulgent bits and revel in their beauty. My quibble is that at climaxes, the trombones, tuba, and horns are not quite prominent enough. This does make it feel a bit "tame" despite the live energy and flexible tempo, and it really hurts the finale's big climax at 12:40-:55. No such problem with the powerful timpani! And when the horns are asked to play muted in the outer movements, they really have a sinister snap.

I'm not sure whether this counts as "good, nearly great," or "great, nearly all-time/perfect".

[kyjo]

Thread Duty:

Tansman Symphony 3

I think the 3rd is my favorite of Tansman's symphonies - it has a prominent concertante role for a piano trio with delightful Baroque and jazz influences at play (rather similar to Martinu's 1920s/30s works in that regard). The unpromisingly-titled Quatre Mouvements also included on that Chandos disc is a fascinating, formidable work in Tansman's later, thornier style.

[kyjo]

This is Rachmaninov Symphony No 2 with Kirill Petrenko.
22:13 (if you subtract the repeat, the timing would be 18:24)
9:38
13:35
13:26

This is an exceptional live performance, one that would have sent me into ecstasy had I been there. As a recording, it's maybe more like A- but the quibbles are small. The orchestra is gorgeous and refined; I love the occasional use of portamento to revive Rachmaninov's era of high romanticism. Tempos are always flowing but they do not feel fast - in fact sometimes they feel slower than normal when they're not, just because Petrenko is so willing to "sell" the really indulgent bits and revel in their beauty. My quibble is that at climaxes, the trombones, tuba, and horns are not quite prominent enough. This does make it feel a bit "tame" despite the live energy and flexible tempo, and it really hurts the finale's big climax at 12:40-:55. No such problem with the powerful timpani! And when the horns are asked to play muted in the outer movements, they really have a sinister snap.

I'm not sure whether this counts as "good, nearly great," or "great, nearly all-time/perfect".

I listened to excerpts from this new recording on Spotify and they sounded really promising, so I look forward to hearing it in full! Rachmaninoff 2 is one of my all-time favorite symphonies, but it can be quite tough to get "right" in performance - i.e. managing a compelling balance between lush, Romantic expressivity/rubato and taut, dramatic forward momentum.

Btw, what is up with the Berlin Philharmonic label's stupid idea to not include any information about the composer, piece, or performers on the front cover of their albums?

[kyjo]

NP:

Piston
Symphony No. 7
Oregon Symphony
Carlos Kalmar



Truly impressed with all of the Piston symphonies I have in my collection. He never disappoints. I've read some criticism of him as being a "dry, academic" composer before I heard a note of his music and then I heard Tilson Thomas' recording of Symphony No. 2 and thought "Those naysayers haven't a clue as to what they're even talking about" and I believe they still don't.

I largely agree, though I consistently find Piston's even-numbered symphonies quite a bit more inspired than the odd-numbered ones. To be honest, the 7th on that disc lives up to Piston's (overall undeserved) "dry and academic" reputation, IMHO of course. The even-numbered ones have more engaging lyricism and varied orchestral color to my ears, particularly the Second with its noble, moving slow movement. Other Piston works I enjoy very much are The Incredible Flutist, Three New England Sketches, Violin Concerto No. 1, and the Divertimento for 9 Instruments.

[Le Buisson Ardent]

I largely agree, though I consistently find Piston's even-numbered symphonies quite a bit more inspired than the odd-numbered ones. The even-numbered ones have more engaging lyricism and varied orchestral color to my ears, particularly the Second with its noble, moving slow movement. Other Piston works I enjoy very much are The Incredible Flutist, Three New England Sketches, Violin Concerto No. 1, and the Divertimento for 9 Instruments.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you as this 7th symphony is fantastic with a gorgeous central movement full of that lyricism in which you mentioned. All of those works you mentioned I also like, but I'm less keen on the VCs. I wish there were more recordings of his chamber music available and actually that are still in-print.

[Lisztianwagner]

Edward Elgar
Symphony No.2

Sir John Barbirolli & Hallé Orchestra

[Le Buisson Ardent]

NP:

Piston
Symphony No. 5
National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic
David Alan Miller



Again, an odd-numbered symphony and wonderful!

[Mandryka]

Scelsi: Konx-Om-Pax

Check this if you dare

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E Major, 1885 Original Version. Ed. Robert Haas, Takashi Asahina,  Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra