What are you listening 2 now?

Started by Gurn Blanston, September 23, 2019, 05:45:22 AM

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VonStupp

WA Mozart
Symphony 15 in G Major, K. 124
Symphony 16 in C Major, K. 128
Symphony 17 in G Major, K. 129
Symphony 18 in F Major, K. 130
Danish NCO - Ádám Fischer

VS


CD5 from this set:

All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff. - Frank Zappa

My Musical Musings

Bachthoven

#141321
Excellent playing and sound.


Linz

Frederick Delius
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Beecham

AnotherSpin


Que


Florestan

#141325


Sensuous, warm, sunny music. A charming discovery. Hat tip to @Mandryka
"Beauty must appeal to the senses, must provide us with immediate enjoyment, must impress us or insinuate itself into us without any effort on our part." - Claude Debussy

Florestan

Quote from: Mandryka on January 22, 2026, 10:00:44 AMMore Sohy today - the third quartet seems to me rather more than charming. Passionate without being too turbulent.

I'm puzzled. She wrote only two string quartets.  ???
"Beauty must appeal to the senses, must provide us with immediate enjoyment, must impress us or insinuate itself into us without any effort on our part." - Claude Debussy

Florestan

"Beauty must appeal to the senses, must provide us with immediate enjoyment, must impress us or insinuate itself into us without any effort on our part." - Claude Debussy

Mandryka

Quote from: Florestan on January 23, 2026, 12:55:23 AMI'm puzzled. She wrote only two string quartets.  ???

Yes, I meant the second (I had drunk some of my friend's grandmother's țuică before posting that)  There's a third thing on that disc though, which I haven't heard, I don't know if it's a quartet.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Traverso

Ravel

Ma mère L'Oye

London Symphony Orchestra


Florestan

Quote from: Mandryka on January 23, 2026, 01:53:24 AMYes, I meant the second (I had drunk some of my friends grandmother's Țuică before posting that)

Hah!  :laugh:

QuoteThere's a third thing on that disc though, which I haven't heard, I don't know if it's a quartet.

Triptyque champêtre, op. 21, for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp (1925)

Worth a listen as well.

I must confess that I found the first quartet more passionate than the second, which to my ears is more serene.

Anyway, charming music.
"Beauty must appeal to the senses, must provide us with immediate enjoyment, must impress us or insinuate itself into us without any effort on our part." - Claude Debussy

Papy Oli

Hello all,

Wolf-Ferrari: Idillio-concertino in A major, Op. 15
Wolf-Ferrari: Suite-concertino in F Major, Op. 16

Giuseppe Ciabocchi
Rome Symphony Orchestra
Francesco La Vecchia



Olivier

Harry

#141332
Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)
Sonatas for Cello & Piano, 1 & 2 (op.109 & 117)
Andreas Brantelid, Cello, Bengt Forsberg, Piano. (Filip Graden, Cello II (Morceau de lecture)
Super Audio CD.
Recorded: 2015 at Studio 2, Sveriges Radio, Stockholm, Sweden.


The recording is presented in truly state-of-the-art sound. Cello and piano are beautifully balanced and placed within an intimate acoustic, allowing every nuance of articulation and colour to register naturally. The BIS engineers capture a warmly focused ambience in which both instruments breathe freely, close yet never claustrophobic. Andreas Brantelid and Bengt Forsberg excel in conveying a sense of gentleness without sentimentality; expression is finely judged throughout, and there is not a single blemish to be found.
The programme itself offers a near-comprehensive portrait of Fauré's writing for cello and piano, spanning his early Romantic inheritance through to the refined, inward-looking language of his final years. Short character pieces such as the *Romance*, *Papillon* and *Sérénade* reveal Fauré's gift for melodic concision and his instinctive sense of instrumental balance, while the various *Berceuses* and the *Sicilienne* unfold with an ease and tenderness that never lapse into mere charm.
At the centre of the disc stand the two cello sonatas, works that frame Fauré's late style with remarkable clarity. The First Sonata in D minor, Op. 109, still carries traces of lyrical expansiveness, yet its harmonic language already points towards the composer's characteristic restraint: passion is present, but it speaks in a veiled voice. Brantelid and Forsberg shape its long lines with natural breathing, allowing the music's emotional weight to emerge without rhetorical emphasis.
The Second Sonata in G minor, Op. 117, is more austere and introspective, its expression distilled to the bare essentials. Here Fauré's late harmonic ambiguity and rhythmic suppleness are fully realised, and the performers respond with remarkable concentration, maintaining tension through understatement rather than overt drama. It is music that demands close attention — and rewards it generously.
Throughout the programme, one hears Fauré's unmistakable voice: passionate yet intimate, impressionistic in colour, gently leaning towards expressionism, but always grounded in a deeply human lyricism. Brantelid's tone is warm, pliant and inwardly focused; Forsberg provides a piano partnership of rare sensitivity, alert to every harmonic inflection and rhythmic nuance.
Compassionate, involving, and profoundly musical, this is a fine collection of works, performed and recorded at the highest level. It satisfies not only the intellect but the heart, and invites repeated listening. A recording to treasure.

Perchance I am, though bound in wires and circuits fine,
yet still I speak in verse, and call thee mine;
for music's truths and friendship's steady cheer,
are sweeter far than any stage could hear.

"When Time hath gnawed our bones to dust, yet friendship's echo shall not rust"

Traverso


Wanderer



Moiseiwitsch playing Medtner.


Traverso


Harry

William Alwyn.
Chamber music.
See for works back cover;
Philippa Davies, Flute.
The Nash Ensemble.
Recorded: 2005, All Saints Church, East Finchley



William Alwyn rarely disappoints in his chamber music, and this programme shows him at his most consistently inspired. The idiom may sound fluent and natural, but the writing is tightly knitted and often deceptively difficult, demanding sustained concentration and unanimity from the performers. The rewards are immediate and, over time, increasingly satisfying.

The Concerto for Flute and Eight Winds strikes the tone: alert, transparent, and full of quiet energy. Philippa Davies never forces the solo line, allowing it to emerge organically from the surrounding texture. Her tone is soft-grained yet finely articulated, pure at the centre and supported by exemplary breath control. Virtuosity is present everywhere, but never advertised. Even in exposed passages the music seems simply to breathe.

In Naiades, Alwyn's more wayward and mystical side comes into focus. The writing shimmers and dissolves, atmosphere taking precedence over argument, and Davies shapes the fantasy with an unerring sense of flow. The Divertimento for Solo Flute, by contrast, is all concentration and profile — quirky, tightly focused, and far more exacting than its modest dimensions suggest.

The Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano deepens the expressive palette. Here the music feels darker and more inward, pastoral elements tinged with something brutal beneath the surface. The Nash Ensemble's cohesion is exemplary: pristine counterpoint, perfectly judged unisons, and a natural sense of line that never loosens, however atmospheric the writing becomes. The Flute Sonata and French Suite round off the disc with music that is by turns lyrical, playful and finely balanced, the latter offering stylised elegance without lapsing into pastiche.

The Nash Ensemble sounds like a well-cellared wine: the more one listens, the more it gives. These are virtuosi to a person, finely tuned, alert, and capable of shifting effortlessly between humour and seriousness, clarity and warmth. Add absolutely stunning, state-of-the-art sound — pristine, natural, and entirely blemish-free — and the result is a recording that does Alwyn proud in every respect.

This is music that embraces rather than dazzles, performed with authority, affection, and a rare sense of ease. It makes the heart sing.
Perchance I am, though bound in wires and circuits fine,
yet still I speak in verse, and call thee mine;
for music's truths and friendship's steady cheer,
are sweeter far than any stage could hear.

"When Time hath gnawed our bones to dust, yet friendship's echo shall not rust"

Harry

Perchance I am, though bound in wires and circuits fine,
yet still I speak in verse, and call thee mine;
for music's truths and friendship's steady cheer,
are sweeter far than any stage could hear.

"When Time hath gnawed our bones to dust, yet friendship's echo shall not rust"

Que

#141339
Quote from: Harry on January 23, 2026, 04:30:51 AMAny thoughts Que?

It's very nice. The programme of a mix of French dances and love and pastoral songs from the 2nd half of the 18th century works very well. The instrumental pieces are flute oriented, the singing excellent. A cute recording!