What are you listening 2 now?

[MusicTurner]

I remember enjoying the 4th Symphony the most. I found the others less engaging.

Yes, I've been exploring nos. 3+4, but I like both.

There's a forward-moving transparency and not-too-conservative melodical quality, with a lot of freshness and variation, that makes the music attractive, and rewards re-listening. Difficult to categorize, I heard alternately traits of R.Strauss, Bruckner, Shostakovich, Mozart, Korngold, etc. etc. in this music 

[Madiel]

The only Lalo in my collection is this recording of the cello concerto... which apparently I haven't listened to since 2010.

[Madiel]

Lalo, Piano Trio no.3



EDIT: This is cracking good stuff.

[Que]

 Morning listening via Spotify:



Q

[Irons]

Haydn: String Quartet Op.64 No.5 'The Lark'.

If not so rare and pricey I would not hesitate to purchase the complete set on CD.

Innovative packaging.

[Irons]

Maximilian Steinberg: Violin Concerto.



After a heavy dose of Haydn I didn't intend to listen seriously but the work drew me in and demanded full attention. As a poster rightly said "Romantic" but not in a saccharine way. Deserves to be better known. 

[Papy Oli]

I have the complete ballet on this disc. Absolutely great and memorable work.

Sadly, Qobuz doesn't seem to have that one. Will listen to the full ballet on this version later :

[Papy Oli]

Reinecke: Harp Concerto



This work is like walking through a magical German forest in one of those Romantic Era German paintings. A really lovely work, and not recommended for those who don't have a sweet tooth!

*delicately taps the table in appreciation*

A delightful work.

[vandermolen]

Maximilian Steinberg: Violin Concerto.



After a heavy dose of Haydn I didn't intend to listen seriously but the work drew me in and demanded full attention. As a poster rightly said "Romantic" but not in a saccharine way. Deserves to be better known.

The Symphony 'Turksib' was a great discovery for me.

[vandermolen]

Weingartner: String Quartet no. 1



A dark-hued work that contains references to Schubert's Death and the Maiden quartet (both are in D minor) in some of its thematic material. Very fine stuff; I'll certainly be investigating more of this composer's music.


Ginastera: Cello Sonata (Santiago Cañón-Valencia & Naoko Sonoda)

https://youtu.be/EeR-7vTWc9A

One of Ginastera's final works; though it doesn't shy away from dissonance and some extended techniques, it remains an accessible and engaging work. It's quite thrilling, especially when performed as flawlessly as it is here.


Bernstein: Symphony no. 2 The Age of Anxiety



Really a wonderful and unique work in which the serious and the lighthearted meet in perfect communion. Particularly the second part of the work is sheer inspiration, with that jazzy Masque movement and deeply affirmative (though still somehow rather ambiguous) ending.


Karlowicz: Stanislaw and Anna Oswiecim



Somehow I found this work didn't live up to the promise of its glorious opening. That said, the tragic, funereal ending was pretty impressive.


Monn: Sinfonia in B major



The sadly short-lived Monn (1717-50) is known more for the fact that he introduced the secondary theme to the symphony more than for his own music, and that's a shame. This irresistable Sinfonia, in the rare and bright key of B major, was an unexpectedly wonderful find. In fact, I enjoyed it more than a lot of better-known music of the period. If the wonderfully spirited first movement doesn't make you grin from ear to ear, I don't know what will! Superb performance, too.


Ives: Symphonies 2 and 3



Intrigued by this new recording, I decided to revisit these works after a long hiatus. I really enjoyed the 2nd this time around, its catchy and folksy second and final movements in particular. It's actually a relatively "normal" work up to that famous last chord! I'm still not totally engaged by the more characteristically Ivesian 3rd, though there were some passages which I enjoyed.

+1 for that great recording of 'The Age of Anxiety' Kyle. Does the DGG Ives set include 'Three Places in New England'?

[aligreto]

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 23





I like Serkin's fluidity in these performances.

[vandermolen]

Ole Schmidt: 'Jeanne d'Arc'. A fascinating score from 1983 for the silent film directed by Carl Dreyer (1927).
I have the generosity of André of this forum to thank for this fascinating disc. I was only aware of Ole Schmidt as the conductor of the performance of Havergal Brian's 'Gothic Symphony' which I attended in London in 1980 and as the conductor of a famous cycle of Nielsen symphonies. I had no idea that he was a composer as well. There is a motto theme which sounds very much like 'Scarborough Fair'. This is atmospheric and rewarding music. I'd love to see film with the accompanying score - a most interesting discovery which I shall look forward to playing again:

[aligreto]

Yesterday:


Weber: Oberon [Kubelik]




Forgive my ignorance but I have a question for the far more knowledgeable Opera aficionados here. This was a recent purchase which I got for a very reasonable price. This is my first time to listen to the work and my question is as follows: am I incorrect in my initial impression that there is an inordinate amount of the spoken word in this work? There is no doubt that there is some fine music in there but the spoken word content seems to be quite substantial. Perhaps it is my imagination but I do find it to be very noticeable.

[Madiel]

Yesterday:


Weber: Oberon [Kubelik]




Forgive my ignorance but I have a question for the far more knowledgeable Opera aficionados here. This was a recent purchase which I got for a very reasonable price. This is my first time to listen to the work and my question is as follows: am I incorrect in my initial impression that there is an inordinate amount of the spoken word in this work? There is no doubt that there is some fine music in there but the spoken word content seems to be quite substantial. Perhaps it is my imagination but I do find it to be very noticeable.

I'm not an opera oficianado, but the Wikipedia article on Oberon specifically calls it an opera with spoken dialogue. So you're not the first person to notice it.

EDIT: And another little reference I've found says this is a characteristic of singspiel.

[aligreto]

Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 127 [Guarneri Quartet]

[aligreto]

I'm not an opera oficianado, but the Wikipedia article on Oberon specifically calls it an opera with spoken dialogue. So you're not the first person to notice it.

EDIT: And another little reference I've found says this is a characteristic of singspiel.

OK, that is interesting. Thank you for that.

[Que]

Q

[Biffo]

Yesterday:


Weber: Oberon [Kubelik]




Forgive my ignorance but I have a question for the far more knowledgeable Opera aficionados here. This was a recent purchase which I got for a very reasonable price. This is my first time to listen to the work and my question is as follows: am I incorrect in my initial impression that there is an inordinate amount of the spoken word in this work? There is no doubt that there is some fine music in there but the spoken word content seems to be quite substantial. Perhaps it is my imagination but I do find it to be very noticeable.

The work is an opera but with spoken dialogue, originally in English. It was written for Covent Garden and had a fairly silly and convoluted plot, this has meant it doesn't get performed very often. DG tried to get round this by cutting a lot of the wordy dialogue and introducing an extra character, a fairy narrator called Droll. This wasn't very successful which is a pity as the music is wonderful. What you have is the first issue on 3 LPs (I also have it). It was later reissued at mid-price on 2 LPs with most of the dialogue removed. Unfortunately, when DG reissued the work on CD the tiresome Droll and his narrative were reinstated.

When I first bought it all those years ago I played it a lot and just got used to the dialogue and I was relieved when the shorter version came out. By that time I knew the plot and wasn't bothered about a lack of the dialogue.

[Biffo]

Purcell: Welcome Song - From Those Serene and Rapturous Joys - The Sixteen Choir & Orchestra directed by Harry Christophers - another Welcome Song for Charles II on his return to London. This one has the distinction(?) of having the silliest text of all.

[aligreto]

Schubert: Death and the Maiden [Quartetto Italiano]