What are you listening 2 now?

[Florestan]

A comment someone made about memory in Rihm's Lux made me spontaneously think of Pogorelich's Valses nobles et sentimentales, which do indeed sound like something dimly remembered. I think this was the last recording he made before his crisis, and it is, IMO, right on the cusp of ruinous misjudgement and bold creativity.

Thank you, I do need this. Thanks again.

[listener]

Discs that arrived long ago, first listen
KOECHLIN   Songs and part-songs with orchestra accompaniment
and Fauré: Chanson de Mélisande  orch. by Koechlin
Juliane Bamse, soprano   SWR Radio S.O. Stuttgart     Heinz Holliger, cond.
and from Brilliant's Box 1 of Organ Music
SCHUMANN:  6 Studies, op. 56  4 Sketches op.58   for pedal-piano, 6 Fugues on B-A-C-H op, 60
Roberto Barini,  Mascioni organ of the Abbey of San Tommaso Apostolo, Pontevecchio

[Todd]

7.  Up to this point, the set has been so-so, but finally with the Seventh, Rosbaud delivers a crackerjack performance.

[Symphonic Addict]

Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major

[vers la flamme]

Karlheinz Stockhausen: Grüppen. Arturo Tamayo, Péter Eötvös, Jacques Mercier (conductors), WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

Really good stuff, totally kaleidoscopic music. My favorite part is the electric guitar(s)

[Todd]

It was that time again.  Hits the spot every time.

[Tom 1960]

Welcome back, Tom ! 

THANK YOU, ANDRE!

[Symphonic Addict]

Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor

[SimonNZ]

[Florestan]

Wrong is a big word.

My golden standard in the Mazurkas is Rubinstein (preferably his 1st recording - fresh and brimming with energy) and Yakov Flier (Melodiya). I have 2 recordings on a Pleyel as well: Cor de Groot (pretty good, but rather old fashioned) and Fou Ts'ong (incomplete on one disc a part of "The Real Chopin" edition, also quite good but missing the magic touch).

The Mazurkas should be indeed performed dance-like, with appropriate tempi, rhythm and energy.
This is quirky and quite deconstructed in approach in places, with unnatural changes (lapses) in tempi and rhythm.
The Mazurkas should IMO be played straight with charm, going all philosophical about them is killing their character.

But I'm sure many would disagree! 

Q

Thanks, and agreed. 

[ritter]

X-posted from the opera thread:

Revisting thet absolute jewel that is Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges, in what I understand is its first recording (from 1947), conducted by Ernest Bour.


The sound is excellent for its vintage, the performance has a natural flow to it that is admirable, Colette's text is beguiling, and the music is simply wonderful. C'est magnifique!

"Keng-ça-fou, Mah-jong, Keng-ça-fou, puis' -kong-kong-pran-pa, Ça-oh-râ, Ça-oh-râ...Ça-oh-râ, Cas-ka-ra, harakiri, Sessue Hayakawa Hâ! Hâ! Ça-oh-râ toujours l'air chinoâ." 

[Biffo]

Vaughan Williams: Phantasy Quintet - Maggini Quartet with Garfield Jackson viola

[Irons]

Bax: 5th Symphony.

Arnold is well served on CD. Struck by the excellence of the strings with a softness I found most appealing.

[pjme]

X-posted from the opera thread:

I found that recording, combined with Ansermet's 1954 version:


Ernest Bours singers are indeed very, very good, even if Nadine Sauterau as "l'Enfant" sounds very girlish. Maazel's DGG recording remains my favorite. But this 1947 performance transports me effortlessly into a magical world.
The little duet for the princesse and l'enfant is perfect.

[pjme]

Gave this a spin (after fragments from Ravel's 'Enfant).

Glorious and uplifting music from troubled times. Beautiful!

[vandermolen]

Ireland: Symphonic Rhapsody Mai Dun (LP):

[Mandryka]

The cream always rises to the top. This was released last year and was drowned in the sea of all the other new releases and then forgotten about. However, revisiting my playlist for new releases from November 2019 reveals it to be an outstanding performance, well recorded, sensitively played. Not surprisingly, her CV on allmusic shows her to be a seriously well formed musician, a cellist and a viol player.

[vandermolen]

Ben-Haim: 'Pan' Symphonic Poem for Soprano and Orchestra:
An atmospheric work which pre-dates the composer's move to Tel Aviv.
It was begun after his 'long and dismal service' in the German Army in World War One according to the booklet notes.
It shows the influence of Debussy and R.Strauss. It reminded me in places of Bliss's 'The Enchantress'.
Now on to the 'Pastoral Variée' (1945/48) for solo clarinet with string orchestra and harp. This is a beautiful and haunting work in Ben Haim's more familiar, dreamy and 'Middle eastern' style. The middle section oddly reminded me in places of Warlock's 'The Curlew'.

[Daverz]

The cream always rises to the top. This was released last year and was drowned in the sea of all the other new releases and then forgotten about. However, revisiting my playlist for new releases from November 2019 reveals it to be an outstanding performance, well recorded, sensitively played. Not surprisingly, her CV on allmusic shows her to be a seriously well formed musician, a cellist and a viol player.

I'll put it on the list.  Have you heard Perenyi?

[Todd]