What are you listening 2 now?

[Florestan]

My beloved has asked "can I please have some nice and melodic orchestral music in the background while I do a bit of work ?".

Apparently Mahler is too intense   

I usually pick that one first in the collection for that mood, which hits the mark :

Moscheles - Piano concerto 4 & 5 (Shelley / Hyperion).

[asin]B0007NLHMK[/asin]

I do not have actually much in that very Early Romantic vein, besides John Field, Moscheles, Loewe, Berwald.

Looking online for more Romantic composers, I came across some names I often saw mentioned by Sonic Dave and Andrei (among others) for instance : Spohr, Czerny, Hummel, Reicha, Onslow, Ries.

Does that sound about right for a similar mood ?

Yes!!! Spohr, Czerny, Hummel, Reicha, Onslow, Ries. Moscheles... Your beloved has excellent taste.

[Iota]

Is this your first experience (or first positive experience) with Takemitsu's music? Kodama is an excellent pianist.

No, Takamitsu has been on my radar for quite a few years and I have always liked him unequivocally, but it's true that prevailing circumstances have for whatever reason, intensified the detail/sonority/feeling of this music for me.
Kodama certainly is excellent I agree (in Ravel too I find). I also liked Nogawa and in a different way, Kotaro Fukuma, each of them effecting a subtle turn of the kaleidoscope in terms of the different nuances they bring to the music (Rain Tree Sketch I & II), all of which as I said, I'm finding serene and hypnotically lovely.


Today have been continuing my journey through the Lindsays complete Tippett String Quartets cycle on Asv, with No.3.
The longest at about 30 mins, involving two slow movements interspersed between three quicker and at times notably contrapuntal ones. Over all of which Tippett waves his very distinctive magic wand, excellent, as are they all.

[SonicMan46]

Onslow, George (1784-1853) - String Quartets - last night and this morning, some selections from the 5 discs that I own of George's String Quartets - Dave
.
   

[North Star]

Domenico Scarlatti
Stabat Mater a dieci voci e basso continuo
Concerto Italiano
Alessandrini
[asin]B00004ZBJS[/asin]

[Que]

Domenico Scarlatti
Stabat Mater a dieci voci e basso continuo
Concerto Italiano
Alessandrini
[asin]B00004ZBJS[/asin]

A beauty of a recording! 

Q

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Dipping my toes into the sonic world of Grażyna Bacewicz:  first up was her III - Sonata (1947) on a CD with Arnold Belnick, violin and Sergei Silvansky, piano.  I had played it a few days ago, but couldn't get into it.  I did much better with it today.  Her music made me think of a Bartokian feel and drive (various 'fleck's of folk music influences) and a strong forward driving impetus.

Will visit more of her music later.  This is a copy of the CD cover. 

[Papy Oli]

Yes!!! Spohr, Czerny, Hummel, Reicha, Onslow, Ries. Moscheles... Your beloved has excellent taste.

Hi Papy Oli - pleasant music from all the above - last few days, I've been going through my Onslow collections, mainly chamber works such as String Quartets/Quintets & Piano and Wind Pieces, all quite pleasant - in fact, yesterday, I was 'updating' one of the several Onslow Threads HERE - plenty of cover art pics posted, if interested.  Dave

Thank you both. I'll explore those and see what we'll like.

As for the Hyperion Romantic Piano concerto series, which other volumes might be worth looking at please ?

[steve ridgway]

A new download. Scelsi - Yamaon / Anahit / I Presagi / Tre Pezzi / Okanagon.

[T. D.]

That Scelsi is good, I purchased the CD when it was released.
Listening:

[Papy Oli]

A first listen to these Elgar works :

Sospiri
Elegy
Serenade for Strings
Introduction and Allegro

[vandermolen]

Indeed a lovely work. I bought this CD several years ago:

Good to know.

[vandermolen]

Good afternoon all,

First listen to Hubert Parry - 5th Symphony.

https://www.youtube.com/v/FIIQBdTMVYE

A fine work. The Symphonic Variations are my favourite work by Parry. A thumbs up for Elgar's 'Sospiri' as well. Coincidentally a friend texted me a message about that work today. Also thumbs up for Stanford's Irish Symphony.

[SonicMan46]

Thank you both. I'll explore those and see what we'll like.

As for the Hyperion Romantic Piano concerto series, which other volumes might be worth looking at please ?

Well, Hyperion has released 80 volumes in this Romantic Piano series - check HERE - not sure how many I own (at least a dozen and likely more, including the 3 of Moscheles' Piano Concertos) - suggest checking the link to see which composers may appeal and listen to the snippets there - good luck!  Dave

P.S. If you ordered 'across the pond' in the USA before, then check BRO HERE; they are offering the majority of these Hyperion releases for $8 USD apiece - if you've not used this 'discounter' before, the CDs are new.  As to shipping to me in North Carolina, about a buck per disc on an order of a half dozen (less w/ more) - not sure what their shipping rates would be to Europe?

[Papy Oli]

Well, Hyperion has released 80 volumes in this Romantic Piano series - check HERE - not sure how many I own (at least a dozen and likely more, including the 3 of Moscheles' Piano Concertos) - suggest checking the link to see which composers may appeal and listen to the snippets there - good luck!  Dave

P.S. If you ordered 'across the pond' in the USA before, then check BRO HERE; they are offering the majority of these Hyperion releases for $8 USD apiece - if you've not used this 'discounter' before, the CDs are new.  As to shipping to me in North Carolina, about a buck per disc on an order of a half dozen (less w/ more) - not sure what their shipping rates would be to Europe?

Thank you Dave, will have a look.

[pjme]

This afternoon - between going for a bike ride and preparing a meal - large chunks of Wagners Parsifal in the  Nikolaus Lehnhoff production Baden Baden (2005). Great singers (Ventris, Salminen, Meier, Fox, Hampson), excellent orchestra and conductor (Kent Nagano).
Alas, after a few minutes I couldn't help seeing Parsifal as Victor Mature in Samson and Delila, Waltraud Meier as Joan Crawford, Titurel as The creature from the black lagoon and Klingsor as Gary Oldman/Dracula.... No, live opera (with many close ups) is not made for video.
I know that this production is generally very well received.
Anyway, I was very happy and relieved to listen to Stravinsky's Symphony in three movements / Berlin PhO / Simon Rattle. A breath of fresh air.

[Florestan]

which other volumes might be worth looking at please ?

All oif them! All of them! All of them!

[Papy Oli]

A fine work. The Symphonic Variations are my favourite work by Parry. A thumbs up for Elgar's 'Sospiri' as well. Coincidentally a friend texted me a message about that work today. Also thumbs up for Stanford's Irish Symphony.

Hi Jeffrey,

Had some more Parry in the YT queue, playing now :
- Elegy for Brahms
- Symphonic Variations
- Blest Pair of Sirens

I did order the Warner 5-CD set with (the lighter) Elgar, Parry and Stanford on Ebay a month or two ago but it got lost in the post. Re-sampling the works again to see if I would buy another copy. Pleasant works in the main but not entirely sure I would go back to them. Jury's out.   

[Papy Oli]

All of them! All of them! All of them!

Any that stand out please ?

[Mahlerian]

No, Takamitsu has been on my radar for quite a few years and I have always liked him unequivocally, but it's true that prevailing circumstances have for whatever reason, intensified the detail/sonority/feeling of this music for me.
Kodama certainly is excellent I agree (in Ravel too I find). I also liked Nogawa and in a different way, Kotaro Fukuma, each of them effecting a subtle turn of the kaleidoscope in terms of the different nuances they bring to the music (Rain Tree Sketch I & II), all of which as I said, I'm finding serene and hypnotically lovely.

Kodama also did this disc which I enjoy a lot, interspersing Toshio Hosokawa's very modern Etudes with Debussy's:

[SonicMan46]

Onslow, George (1784-1853) - String Quintets and Wind Chamber Works, Op. 30 & 81 - George wrote 34 String Quintets - I own 16 of these works, so listening to a selection from my collection; the Op. 30 & 81 pieces are for winds and piano w/ winds.  Dave