What are you listening 2 now?

[Bachtoven]

[Todd]

[Linz]

Johann Sebastian Bach  Organ Works Vol. 18, Gerhard Weinberger, Hildebrandt Organ Stoermthal, Scheibe Organ Zschortau

[foxandpeng]

Hmmm, that sounds rather sketchy to me.

Indeed, the cd booklet does not mention the texts of this symphony -  I found this information:

"It is especially difficult to write about the Symphony No. 7, as it centers around spoken passages, which are not even included in the accompanying program notes in Czech, not to mention in English translation. However the notes indicate that the text is drawn from the Gospel according to John and the Book of Revelation. According to program notes to a recent performance, written by Klára Mühlová and Vladimir Maňas, the text "does not feature a single verb, remaining a stream of bare meanings. The composer emphasizes the symbolic nature of words, leaving the making of connections between the propositions to the combining of music with words, and the explanation to the listener." The work falls into three sections, entitled: 1) Eternity; 2) Humanity; 3) Eternity. In this work Kabeláč's language has become totally dissonant and largely atonal. There is little sense of metrical pulse, and much cluster harmony, yet there is still a strong tonal sense. But most important, even without a printed text, the music conveys a sense of intense emotionality. The work was commissioned for the 1968 Prague Spring Festival, where it received its premiere. Kabeláč said, "The Seventh Symphony is my musical and philosophical credo."

Even so, it would be good to have the quotes printed. I do not read/speak Czech, Hungarian, Russian ... but enjoy searching for information & if possible - translations.

" Kabeláč's music is no walk in the park. It is all serious stuff—grim, bleak, and brooding, often breaking out into a relentless physical brutality. There is no levity. While listening to this music, it is hard not to be constantly reminded of the overwhelming adversities, both personal and political, that he endured throughout his career, although regarding his work as nothing but a statement of political resistance or protest is simplistic, to say the least.  "

Source: https://walter-simmons.com/writings/1849

Anyway, Kabelac's music surely has a mesmerising effect on many listeners. i discovered his music in the early seventies when Les percussions de Strasbourg toured Europe and performed often the Eight inventions for percussion ensemble. That work was picked up by choreographers, adding to the popularity of that score.

Mystery of time is without doubt one of Kabelac's greatest compositions. Personally I admire the Hamlet improvisations and the Reflections a lot: unanswered questions ticking away in infinity....

This is helpful.

I think there is some necessity to be able to link lyrical meaning to what the music, in its tone and texture, describes. I can't do that because of the limitations of my linguistic capability, and it seems from the great programme notes that Kabeláč sees the same importance. The Johannine passages would doubtless add to the experience and without it, the sonority of the spoken word is simply not enough.

What a shame that I can't understand it!

[foxandpeng]

Stephen Dodgson.
Complete Chamber Music for Cello & Piano.
Evva Mizerska (Cello), Emma Abbate (Piano)
Recorded in 2016.

This is music very much to my liking. And it fits with my mood today.

Count me a fan, also.

[Harry]

Count me a fan, also.

I knew it, I knew it   

[Harry]

Count me a fan, also.

I knew it, I knew it   

[Todd]

[foxandpeng]

I knew it, I knew it   

 

[brewski]

Coming up now, this sold-out concert with Miró Quartet, live from the Bowdoin Festival:

Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, K. 493 — Elinor Freer, piano
Ginastera: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 20
Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10

-Bruce

[VonStupp]

Pablo de Sarasate

Tianwa Yang, violin
Navarra SO - Ernest Martínez Izquierdo

Finishing up with the last of Yang's Sarasate concertante series, mostly odds and ends.
VS

[Symphonic Addict]

Egon Wellesz
Symphony No.4

Gottfried Rabl & Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien



So far I've been enjoying Wellesz' symphonies a lot; the early four symphonies sound all rather influenced by Mahler's music, and in fact, although they haven't got Mahler's wide expanded textures, orchestral richness and use of irony and parody, those Wellesz' works evoke a very mahlerian intensity and emotional strenght, as well as sometimes, especially in the slower movements, a sort of peaceful, nostalgic beauty. The contrapuntal structures are very well elaborated and there is a nice use of the fugato.

I concur with you, Ilaria. In spite of some Mahlerian and Schoenbergian influences, Wellesz's craftsmanship and sense of development are quite strong and distinctive to some extent. There are no weak or mediocre exemplaries in his cycle.

[Madiel]

My brain is still jet lagged and as I try to persuade it to go back to classical music (indeed, music more generally, I rarely listened on my trip), I decided there's nothing more appropriate than Haydn string quartets in C major.

So, it's op.1 no.6, in C major.



There's a recurring little figure in the Adagio that I particularly love. But really, the whole thing (and indeed any of these quartets) demonstrates how much there is to enjoy in fairly early Haydn.

[Bachtoven]

Aside from some audible edits, this is very good. I've had the LP for ages, so it's nice to be able to stream it via Qobuz.

[lordlance]

Bruckner Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, 1877 Version Ed. Leopld Nowak (with Scherzo coda), Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden

How did you find the performance?

Cross post from the Schubert thread - 

Quote from: lordlance on 23/07/2024, 09:33:41

I'm listening to Drei Klavierstucke, D. 946 from Andreas Staier and the fortepiano sounds far better than all of the other ones I've heard. It might sound like a strange complaint but it doesn't sound clanky at all which makes me suspicious if it's a fortepiano because it sounds too rich for a fortepiano  Any idea why this one sounds so much better than so many other fortepianos?  

[AnotherSpin]

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 - Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck

[Roasted Swan]

Coming up now, this sold-out concert with Miró Quartet, live from the Bowdoin Festival:

Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, K. 493 — Elinor Freer, piano
Ginastera: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 20
Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10

-Bruce

now that's an interesting programme (bloomiing hard work for the players mind!)

[Valentino]

This will do nicely it seems.

It's indeed that Horenstein 1969 Proms performance of Mahler 7.

[Que]

[brewski]

now that's an interesting programme (bloomiing hard work for the players mind!)

Yes, to both comments! I was most interested in the Ginastera, which was fantastic, but I loved the Mozart, too (which I don't recall hearing). And the Debussy seems to be programmed a lot these days; it might be easy to get tired of hearing it, but you know, when it's played like this...I'm not.

PS, after maybe three curtain calls, they did a surprising encore, apparently the final track on their latest recording: an arrangement of "Over the Rainbow."

-Bruce