What are you listening 2 now?

[vandermolen]

Maybe I'm being too literal-minded and unimaginative, but I found that particular Elgar video confusing.  He takes three pieces of music by Elgar, the March, the 2nd Symphony, the Dream of Gerontius - and ranks them in that order.  Clearly a heavy-handed sort of internet joke, right?  He then, without any change of expression, demeanour, or delivery, goes on to trash certain well-known recordings of the 2nd and commend others.  For a while I was assuming this was still part of the same joke.  Should I in fact be seeking out Svetlanov and Sinopoli?  I can't say I trust his final choices at all.

I see your point. Actually I rather enjoyed the performance of Elgar's 2nd Symphony with Svetlanov and the USSR SO, much as I do Rozhdestvensky's Vaughan Williams cycle. I didn't take Hurwitz's comments about the 'March of the Moguls' too seriously and agree with his admiration for the Edward Downes recording on Naxos.

Now playing, the new recording of James Macmillan's 'Symphony No.4'. I've always liked the paintings of Cecil Collins (1908-1989) whose painting 'The Divine Land' features on the front of the disc:

[Roasted Swan]

I find these Hurwitz videos, which I only discovered through this forum, highly entertaining, so thanks for posting it. He makes me laugh with his comments like 'this is a passionate and exciting performance - not at all 'English''. I don't know the Slatkin performance nor the Mackerras but it does not surprise me as Mackerras's performance of Walton's First Symphony is one of the best I think. I'm tempted to look out for Boult's Lyrita performances of the Elgar symphonies which I have never owned. I heard Elgar's Second Symphony live at the Proms some years ago at the same concert which featured Moeran's Symphony (Sinaisky). Here is the 'March of the Mogul Emperors'' from the 'Crown of India Suite' which Hurwitz goes on about:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zoweJ1q00T8

Daverz - sorry if you've fallen out of love with Elgar 2 - I think it is one of his very very finest works.  I've not watched this video so no idea what is praised or dammed.  The Slatkin is very good - and with the Handley (and Mackerras I think?) add the organ pedals during the final peroration to great effect.  The Boult/Lyrita is very good and of course Boult was the conductor who really rehabilitated the work after its luke-warm reception.  He recorded it many times and all are fine performances.  Stick with the symphony - hopefully the spark might reignite!

[SimonNZ]

five times in as many days

[Traverso]

Couperin-Lully-Marais-Muffat-Campra

CD5

[Biffo]

Maybe I'm being too literal-minded and unimaginative, but I found that particular Elgar video confusing.  He takes three pieces of music by Elgar, the March, the 2nd Symphony, the Dream of Gerontius - and ranks them in that order.  Clearly a heavy-handed sort of internet joke, right?  He then, without any change of expression, demeanour, or delivery, goes on to trash certain well-known recordings of the 2nd and commend others.  For a while I was assuming this was still part of the same joke.  Should I in fact be seeking out Svetlanov and Sinopoli?  I can't say I trust his final choices at all.

A very heavy-handed joke and best ignored although the March is a fine piece. I don't know the Svetlanov performance so can't comment. Sinopoli has his admirers in this forum but I am not one of them; if you have Spotify his Elgar recordings are available there. I am an admirer of Solti but not his Elgar 2. I haven't heard Slatkin either.

I have Boult's Lyrita recordings (since LP days) and his final recordings for EMI (now Warner) and can recommend either though marginally prefer the Lyrita.

[Harry]

Second rerun.

Alessandro Besozzi.

Sei Trii per Oboe, Violino e Fagotto.

Performed by:
Luca Vignali, Oboe.
Pavel Vernikov, Violino.
Paolo Carlini, Fagotto.

Really pleasant music, well played, thus very entertaining. Sound is good. Recording dates from 2000.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Enjoying a gentle start to the holiday morning here.  So far, Sonata No. 1 in F Major by the Bohemian composer Jan Dismas Zelenka from this set of his Trio Sonatas:



Looking at the liner notes, I hadn't realized that he was considered such a rule-breaker/unconvenialist for his time which apparently lead him to falling into oblivion and not being rediscovered 'til recently (the recordings are from 1998); I've seen older records of (and have a few on Supraphon) so am curious as to when he was 'rediscovered' and how much did he truly disappear from the musical scene...particularly in the Czech and Slovak Republics?

In any event, I'm finding his sonatas to be lovely and the perfect start for this morning's listening.   

PD

[Traverso]

Beethoven

Definitely one of my favorite Beethoven pianists.

piano sonatas 2 & 3 +WoO "Kurfürsten-sonatan

[Que]

Going to do a full run of this set from the shelves:

[asin]B0000266YE[/asin]
Found my previous notes!  Curious if I feel the same this time around.

Just finished disc 2 of this set:

Surprisingly, the way each sonata by a different pianist is recorded varies considerably.

Some impressions: no. 1 by Malcolm Bilson a bit colourless, rather unremarkable; Tom Beghin gives an interesting and expressive rendition of no. 2; David Breitman is heavy handed in no. 3; Malcolm Bilson's 2nd, strikingly Schubertian performance of no. 4 impresses; Bart van Oort is a bit literal, matter of fact in no. 5; Ursula Dütschler is attractively lively and energetic in no. 6.

Q

[Harry]

Second rerun.

Francesco Colombini.
Concerti Ecclesiastici opus VII.
Motetti Concertati.

Modo Antiquo, Bettina Hoffmann.

One of my favourites of the Tactus batch.

[Undersea]

.
[asin]B003NEQATA[/asin]

Schuman: Symphony #7


Excellent work - I am very pleased with this Box-Set.
My favourite work so far is Symphony #4 (but I have only heard 3 out of the 5 Discs)...

[Todd]

Some selections from this long deleted set.

[Madiel]

Duparc - Elégie and Extase
Fauré - Mirages

[kyjo]

Same here, have been listening to a whole bunch of them and love it: good-humoured, entertaining, often very well informed. Hope he makes more! 

+1 There's something so nice about actually hearing someone talk so enthusiastically and knowledgeably about music!

[kyjo]

Bartok, Piano Quintet

Pounds the table! A knockout recording by this "superstar" ensemble has recently been released:

[asin]B07TPYXYJR[/asin]

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Beethoven

Definitely one of my favorite Beethoven pianists.

piano sonatas 2 & 3 +WoO "Kurfürsten-sonatan

+1

I have this set which I greatly enjoy.   

Best,

PD

[Madiel]

Pounds the table! A knockout recording by this "superstar" ensemble has recently been released:

[asin]B07TPYXYJR[/asin]

Noted. I'm finding my more extensive exploration of Bartok, starting with earlier works, very interesting indeed.

[Mirror Image]

Inspired by a Hurwitz video, listened to a couple Elgar Symphony No. 2 recordings, Slatkin (one of his main recs) and Handley (not one of the recs, just one I already had)

You know, I'm not sure I like this music anymore. 

[asin]B0001TSWP0[/asin]

[asin]B0000647HL[/asin]

(There's a new Sony box of the Slatkin recordings:

[asin]B00EC0VWQK[/asin]

https://www.youtube.com/v/pzs95_Qj9lk

I haven't had a desire to listen to any of Elgar's music in a long time. I don't know, he just doesn't tick all the right boxes for me. When it comes to Late Romantic composers, I find myself more drawn to the Russians and Czechs more than anything. For this listener, English music didn't start getting interesting until Vaughan Williams and that generation of composers came along. But people here are free to disagree, this is just my two cents.

[Mirror Image]

Starting my day of American music with the Barber Violin Concerto from what I believe to be its finest recording:

[Harry]

Second rerun.

Simone de Bonefont.

Missa pro mortuis cum quinque vocibus, nune primum in Lucem edita.1556.
Franco Flemish art in Clermont Ferrand. Premier enregistrement mondial de ce requiem eínedit.

Huelgas Ensemble, Paul van Nevel.

Of of the very best recordings the Huelgas ensemble made.