What are you listening 2 now?

[Symphonic Addict]

Daniel Jones: Symphony No. 6

[Linz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major, 1896 Edition [Doblingler] Revision by Franz Schalk, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Hun-Joung Lim

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Shostakovich's Leningrad with Järvi at helm:



I haven't listened to this symphony in ages it seems. Still love it and this performance with Järvi, in particular, is one of my favorite recordings of this piece.

[JBS]

More first listen to Carter concertos

All of these date to 2000-2003, and except for the AKSO Concerto, these were their first recordings. Knussen conducted all four.
Dialogues is for piano and chamber orchestra; Boston Concerto is a concerto for orchestra; AKSO Concerto for a concerto for chamber ensemble. Only the Cello Concerto is for solo instrument with standard sized orchestra.

[Daverz]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Major, 1896 Edition [Doblingler] Revision by Franz Schalk, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Hun-Joung Lim

I'd forgotten that cycle uses the Schalk "edition".  Kind of compromises the cycle as that is just a curiosity.

[Symphonic Addict]

Three string quartets (0, 2 and 4) and a Bagatelle for string quartet by the Belgian composer Flor Alpaerts (1876-1954). May discoveries never die! I found this music to be imbued with a capricious and witty quality to it right up my street. Great music that wasn't appropriately recorded, that was the stain of the product, sadly.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Frank Martin: Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments



Such sexy music. Beautifully played here in excellent surround sound.

A criminally underrated composer! I wish more listeners knew Martin's music. Oh and that is a fine disc. Love it.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

NP:

Bantock
A Celtic Symphony
RPO
Handley

[brewski]

More first listen to Carter concertos

All of these date to 2000-2003, and except for the AKSO Concerto, these were their first recordings. Knussen conducted all four.
Dialogues is for piano and chamber orchestra; Boston Concerto is a concerto for orchestra; AKSO Concerto for a concerto for chamber ensemble. Only the Cello Concerto is for solo instrument with standard sized orchestra.

That is one of my favorite Carter recordings. All four pieces are superlative, and really well performed.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Keeping with a sea theme I suppose...

NP:

Britten: Four Sea Interludes from "Peter Grimes"

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Martin In terra pax:

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Schumann Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105:

[AnotherSpin]

Symphony No. 7

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Now playing Grieg Holberg Suite, Op. 40:

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Last work for the night --- Tippett Double Concerto:

[steve ridgway]

Birtwistle - Five Distances (Tier 136 for @coffee)

I enjoyed listening to the five instruments doing their contrasting things and noticing how the focus of my awareness shifted between them. It's easy for me to recommend hearing this before the Berio pieces so yes, it should move into a higher tier  .

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Alright, one more work: Walton Portsmouth Point:

[AnotherSpin]

The strikingly boxy sound of Immerseel's fortepiano might just charm those weary of the endlessly cloned bright performances. There's a certain warmth to its oddness. Dare I say, a touch of humanity?

[steve ridgway]

Boulez - Polyphonie X (Tier 136 for @coffee)

Overall this sounded quite similar to the Birtwistle, but less polished, the instruments didn't blend together as smoothly. I think it would be best left after Five Distances. Interestingly it was Boulez conducting the later Birtwistle piece so he perhaps had a better understanding of how to get the intended sound than Rosbaud did with the earlier recording of Polyphonie X.

[hopefullytrusting]

John Blow's An Ode on the Death of Mr. Henry Purcell (words by John Dryden) performed by Gerard Lesne, Steve Dugardin, and La Canzona:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMqiTtP1bTU

To see this score laid out is an act of contemplation; it relaxes as it allows itself to be folded into, enveloping the listener like a warm blanket on a cold night. I hear no grief in this work, only joy and solace. The selection of countertenors was perfectly, as they harmonize well together, and they can easily loft about the instrumentalization - a task (or technique) I often associate with this era of music (it is one of the reasons I adore this style of music so much).

High recommendation.