What are you listening 2 now?

[Mahlerian]

Babbitt: Whirled Series, Beaten Paths, Play it Again Sam, Melismata
Group for Contemporary Music


Berio: Ritorno degli snovidenia
Pierre Strauch, Ensemble Intercontemporain, cond. Boulez


Copland: Piano Fantasy
Leo Smit


That last is one of my favorite Copland works. Grand and expansive in its vision, and still colored by all of those open fifth sonorities that characterize his more populist pieces.

[TheGSMoeller]

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'm loving the Hurwitz videos. And after reading his reviews, and I've read one of his books, I began to pick up on his dry, and often hilarious, humor.  But Hurwitz can also be very direct with his opinions (see his CD From Hell series on Classics Today for example) Perhaps it's challenging to differentiate between the two.
I've commented on several of his videos and he responds to almost all of them, even on one I mentioned that he forgot to recommend a recording, I was being slightly sarcastic, and Hurwitz response was simply, "It's lousy!"
It also seems to be a common trend here at GMG that if he absolutely hates a recording then it's definitely worth checking out.

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.

I can understand, I love Elgar's symphonies, cello ct, and Dream of Gerontius, but I don't gravitate to his music lately as often as I used to.


TD: Purcell: The Indian Queen

[Mirror Image]

Excerpts from "Vanessa"

[vandermolen]

Can't let 4th July go by without playing some American music. So, in the car: 'The Open Prairie Again' from Billy the Kid Suite, Danzon Cubano and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra from this fine Copland CD:

[Mirror Image]

Can't let 4th July go by without playing some American music. So, in the car: 'The Open Prairie Again' from Billy the Kid Suite, Danzon Cubano and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra from this fine Copland CD:

Pounds the table! Great lineup of works.

[Mirror Image]

Some Copland for me as well.

The Red Pony

[Mahlerian]

Carter: Holiday Overture
Odense Symphony Orchestra


How better to follow up one of the more Carter-esque Copland works than with one of the most Copland-esque Carter ones?

[Iota]

Fwiw, on the subject of Elgar symphonies discussed above, I rarely listen to them, and there has been only a brief window a few years ago where I really ever connected with them, and it was Solti who opened that door for me. Somehow the music seemed a bit fresher in his hands. I now know at least that it's a door that can open.


Playing here:



Antoine Brumel: Missa et ecce terrae motus

Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel


Not sure what I was expecting from Brumel, but I've been absolutely bowled over by this music. Such a radiant flowering of undulating lyricism, and gets more lovely with each hearing (now on my third go). And his style seems very individual, noticeably different to anything I've heard, even though it contains for these inexpert ears, pre-echoes of Tallis and even Monteverdi.

How I've managed to get this far without ever consciously alighting on his shores, I don't know, but perhaps now was the time. Anyway now that I have, it feels like a felicitous  meeting of the kindred kind. I'll be dropping anchor for a while.

[Mirror Image]

Sextet

[SonicMan46]

Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959) - Piano Music w/ Sonia Rubinsky from her 8-CD box - listening to the middle 3 discs today and will finish the last two recordings tomorrow - an outstanding box set - multiple reviews attached of these three discs, for those interested.  Dave


   

[Mirror Image]

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:

What did you think about the music, Jeffrey? I own some various recordings of MacMillan on BIS and Chandos, but I have to say he's not a composer whose particular aesthetic appeals to me for some reason. Some of his music can be exciting, but it lacks memorability or, at least, for me it does.

[T. D.]

...
Playing here:



Antoine Brumel: Missa et ecce terrae motus

Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel


Not sure what I was expecting from Brumel, but I've been absolutely bowled over by this music. Such a radiant flowering of undulating lyricism, and gets more lovely with each hearing (now on my third go). And his style seems very individual, noticeably different to anything I've heard, even though it contains for these inexpert ears, pre-echoes of Tallis and even Monteverdi.

How I've managed to get this far without ever consciously alighting on his shores, I don't know, but perhaps now was the time. Anyway now that I have, it feels like a felicitous  meeting of the kindred kind. I'll be dropping anchor for a while.

The "Earthquake Mass" is a stunner, big personal favorite.

[Mirror Image]

Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959) - Piano Music w/ Sonia Rubinsky from her 8-CD box - listening to the middle 3 discs today and will finish the last two recordings tomorrow - an outstanding box set - multiple reviews attached of these three discs, for those interested.  Dave


   

Very nice yet again, Dave. It's also probably the only Villa-Lobos piano set we're likely to see.

[T. D.]

I've not yet heard any V-L solo piano music, but am highly interested.
Will probably try the single disc with Freire (at BRO last time I looked) before considering the big set.

[Sergeant Rock]

Celebrating the 4th with various pieces by Gould, Sousa and several other march composers, Gould conducting




Sarge

[vandermolen]

What did you think about the music, Jeffrey? I own some various recordings of MacMillan on BIS and Chandos, but I have to say he's not a composer whose particular aesthetic appeals to me for some reason. Some of his music can be exciting, but it lacks memorability or, at least, for me it does.

I really like it John. It's not full of memorable tunes but I am gripped by the music and its atmosphere. It seems brilliantly orchestrated as well. I now have two recordings. I'd certainly recommend having a listen to it to see what you think. I think it's another example of modern music with a soul.

[Karl Henning]

Bruckner: Symphony No.5 [Sinopoli]





This is a very strong and powerful version of this work yet it is a very lyrical one also. Sinopoli caresses the music lovingly.

Nice!

[Karl Henning]

All life is a hot, self-referential mess! :-)

So I hear

[Karl Henning]

Curtis Bryant's Sonata for Cello & Piano

[Maestro267]

Corigliano: Symphony No. 3, "Circus Maximus"
University of Texas Wind Ensemble/Junkin