What are you listening 2 now?

[Traverso]

The Dufay Collective

[Traverso]

Telemann

[Harry]

+1 - it is one of my very favourite Dutton discs, along with Arnell's 3rd and 5th symphonies.

A bit off topic I know, but.....
Must say Jeffrey that I really liked Salmenhaara, all of his Symphonies, and I am really pissed off, unable to get it from my sources. Must have been quite difficult to get it out of Finland. Grumpfffff
Listening to No. 3....marvelous!

[Irons]

I play it every few months & am always impressed by it again: one of the real 'discoveries' from the last ten years.

Yes. I would also add Hadley's The Trees So High.

[Traverso]

Josquin Desprez

[André]

Heard at a properly high volume setting (quite higher than usual) and on loudspeakers, this recording reveals qualities of immediacy and naturalness that are absent from the mp3 source I listened to a couple of years ago. It is a powerful, dramatic performance where sensitivity rubs shoulders with grit and determination. All three soloists are magnificent. Annette Dasch's soprano is both pure and powerful. Tenor James Taylor sounds a bit nasal, but he sings with the utmost sensitivity at soft dynamics. Gerhaher is rock solid in his powerful utterances. Britten seems to have intended the soloists to bring very specific vocal colours to their parts, which he conceived with particular artists in mind (Vishnevskaya, Pears and Fischer-Dieskau). I daresay this team is as good an imitation of the original vocal make up as could be. Outstanding.

[vandermolen]

Yes. I would also add Hadley's The Trees So High.

Bate/Chisholm and Hadley's 'Trees So High' are amongst my very favourite works.

[vandermolen]

A bit off topic I know, but.....
Must say Jeffrey that I really liked Salmenhaara, all of his Symphonies, and I am really pissed off, unable to get it from my sources. Must have been quite difficult to get it out of Finland. Grumpfffff
Listening to No. 3....marvelous!

Well, as you know Harry, we Brits are great at negotiating deals with EU countries (HAHAHAHAHA).
Actually the lady at Fuga in Helsinki was really helpful and eventually I gave up on trying to follow the Finnish instructions on the order form and I just emailed her directly. Luckily for me the Salmenhaara CD was temporarily on special offer and it wasn't so expensive. Coincidentally and back on topic I'm listening to Symphony 4 now. I've realised that in addition to the likes of Nielsen, Sibelius and Copland it reminds me of Tubin (Symphony 4) and William Schuman (Symphony No.3) in places. There is a very strong feeling of nature throughout the work. I know I've droned on about it but it has been a wonderful discovery for me:

[Brian]

Q. Am I superficial and shallow for loving the blatantly spotlit percussion in the thunderstorm sequence?
A. Who cares, this is awesome. Or as an old-timer on GMG would say, jammin'!

[Todd]

Q. Am I superficial and shallow for loving the blatantly spotlit percussion in the thunderstorm sequence?
A. Who cares, this is awesome. Or as an old-timer on GMG would say, jammin'!

Mahler + Mehta = Muy bueno

TD:

[MusicTurner]

Well, as you know Harry, we Brits are great at negotiating deals with EU countries (HAHAHAHAHA).
Actually the lady at Fuga in Helsinki was really helpful and eventually I gave up on trying to follow the Finnish instructions on the order form and I just emailed her directly. Luckily for me the Salmenhaara CD was temporarily on special offer and it wasn't so expensive. Coincidentally and back on topic I'm listening to Symphony 4 now. I've realised that in addition to the likes of Nielsen, Sibelius and Copland it reminds me of Tubin (Symphony 4) and William Schuman (Symphony No.3) in places. There is a very strong feeling of nature throughout the work. I know I've droned on about it but it has been a wonderful discovery for me:

Noted. Thank you

[vandermolen]

Noted. Thank you

You are most welcome.

[Todd]

[Daverz]

Symphony No. 2



Fabulous.  Clarity without giving up sensuality.

[vers la flamme]

Heitor Villa-Lobos: Uirapurú. Carlos Chávez: Suite de Caballos de Vapor. Alberto Ginastera: Estancia. Eduardo Mata, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela

This is a killer CD, great performances. Neither of these three are among my favorite composers, but compelling performances like these make me curious to check out more of their music. I think my favorite is the Chávez.

[Todd]

Tight and precise, the chamber orchestra delivers ample weight and rhythmic verve.  The full version of the Midsummer's Night is quite nice, with excellent solo and choral work.  Liebreich has an intriguing discography, aside from the Hahn/Schafer/Goerne disc I already have.  The discs pairing Szymanowski and Lutoslawski look enticing.

[Brian]

Symphony No. 2



Fabulous.  Clarity without giving up sensuality.

I don't know Schmidt well or own a cycle, but our new local conductor (Fabio Luisi) is a Schmidt schuperfan. So got my eye on this if it becomes an obvious first choice. You streaming it?

[kyjo]

Lots of ruthless short random sampling in the last 2-3 days on Qobuz.

Lots more of enticing new stuff to me that made the cut, many new composers* as well:

*Langgaard (symphonies, string quartets) 
Holmboe (chamber music, chamber Ctos, sinfonias)
Wiren (String quartets)
*Madetoja (symphonies)
*Peterson-Berger (symphonies)
*Gade (sonatas for violin and piano, symphonies)
Sibelius (Tone Poems - BIS edition)
*Frescobaldi (Harpsichord works - Rousset)
*Heino Eller - Symphonic Poems
*Sweelinck - Cantiones Sacrae
*Scriabin - symphony No.1, Poeme de l'Extase
*Italian Virtuosi of the Chitarrone (Jakob Lindberg)
*Bloch (Symphony in C)
Bach (Violin Ctos - Faust)
*Liadov (Orchestral Works)
Enescu (Symphonies)
*Melartin (symphonies)
*Kalliwoda (symphonies)
Novak (Serenades, In the Tatras Mountains)
*Pfitzner (symphony in C, String quartets)
Bach (concertos for several instruments - Cafe Zimmerman)
CPE Bach (symphonies, Cello Cto, sonatas for Violin and Piano)
Braga Santos (Concerto for Strings)

Happy with that 

What a fabulous selection, Olivier!

[kyjo]

Symphony No. 2



Fabulous.  Clarity without giving up sensuality.

Great to hear! I'll be checking this new cycle out soon.

[kyjo]

Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat major



This performance emphasizes the Classical clarity of the work, but in the end I think I prefer a more passionately Romantic approach to this wonderful music.


Vaughan Williams: String Quartet in C minor [1898] (Liepaja String Quartet)

https://youtu.be/C_N8nQ3ilT0

Very interesting to hear this work which is far more than a piece of mere junvenilia. As in his magnificent Piano Quintet of a few years later, one can already hear plenty of foreshadowing of RVW's mature style. There's also a recording by the Nash Ensemble as part of an "Early Chamber Works" set on Hyperion, but this live performance on YT is perfectly fine.


Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite



As good as this work is, I can't help but think that the accompanying tone poem The Wood Nymph is the stronger work.


Rota: Symphony no. 1



Listened to this at Johan's recommendation. Rota's concert music seems to get a bad press in some circles, but I thoroughly enjoyed this sunny, lyrical, and bucolic symphony. Fellow admirers of RVW, Moeran, Braga Santos, Pizzetti, etc. will find much to enjoy here (as long as you don't expect searing drama and rigorous symphonic development).


Respighi: Concerto a cinque



One of the many overlooked gems in Respighi's catalogue. This late work, scored for an unusual solo group of piano, oboe, trumpet, violin, and double bass (along with string orchestra), breathes the air of neoclassicism and shows that Respighi was striking out in new directions towards the end of his life. The rather brash opening rather put me off at first, but I found the piece improved significantly shortly after. Indeed, the extended slow movement is full of haunting lyricism and great depth of feeling, and the coda is very inspiriting. Great performance too. Don't miss this!