What are you listening 2 now?

[pjme]

O, that is beautiful! Good idea for this rainy afternoon.
P.

[Que]

O, that is beautiful! Good idea for this rainy afternoon.
P.

  Rainy here as well...

My Glossa order at jpc arrived unexpectedly soon, just before Christmas.
First up:



http://www.musica-dei-donum.org/cd_reviews/Glossa_GCD921808.html

Q

[Brass Hole]

...arrived unexpectedly

Q

I can't say the same for Kaakinen-Pilch but I would have ignored this if it weren't for you. Very special, loved it! Thanks.

[Mirror Image]

Strauss
Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64, TrV 233
Bavarian RSO
Jansons

[Todd]

Disc three equivalent.  Yowza.

[pjme]

After Charpentier I'll add



Picture postcard, very sweet (and catholic church approved) Christmas "mystère" in a neo -romantico-mediaeval style: three little shepherds are frightened by the voice of an angel, but are ultimately brave enough to find "le petit Jésus"....
'Les enfants..." lasts less than an hour, has catchy folk-like melodies for a children's chorus and superb orchestral evocations of icy plains and dark stables only lit by a few candles. The three kings appear in grandly exotic, hip-swinging pomp; even the ox and the donkey have their say. Debussy and Massenet definitely approve. An (in this recording excellent) narrator tells the story and comments briefly.
This "Bethléem" is firmly situated in Fontainebleau or Barbizon, not on the West Bank....
No jubilant alleluia chorus for the finale, but a soft, bitter sweet prayer, looking forward to betrayal and suffering.
I can easily imagine that some will find this score sentimental, even kitschy. For me Pierné and librettist Gabriel Rigond hit all the right, sensitive spots.

ps: Frank Bridge wrote a short Christmas opera "The christmas rose" which I used to have on a Pearl LP. I need to investigate...

[Harry]

Some Monteverdi, will be getting a more recent recording in January by La Venexiana.

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/monteverdi-selva-morale-ed-altre-raccolte-spirituali

The "Selva Morale ..." collection is much lesser known or recorded than the Madrigals and operas ...

The Corboz version is one I treasure very much, in fact its the first I consider when the Selva Morale comes up.

[Harry]

Armando Jose Fernandes.
Violin Concerto in E minor.

Luis de Freitas Branco.
Symphony No. 2.

Alexandre da Costa, Violin.
Extremadura SO, Jesus Amigo.

The violin concerto is a smasher, and the Symphony comes in a pristine performance

[MusicTurner]

The Corboz version is one I treasure very much, in fact its the first I consider when the Selva Morale comes up.

Will be keeping both!

[Sergeant Rock]

Erkki Melartin Symphony No 1 C minor (1902)




Sarge

[Harry]

Peteris Vasks.
Cantus ad Pacem.
Talivaldis Deksnis, Organ.
Instrument built by W. Sauer, Frankfort/Oder-opus 989, 1906, 45/III.


Can not say that I am in any way inclined to romantic or modern organ music, apart from Cesar Franck, and Peteris Vasks. This CD gives me spiritual satisfaction apart from the very disruptive Cantus ad Pacem. Too many notes and too much energy. The Organ is a modern one, and sounds like it, not per se a nice sound, but rather mechanical and cold. And so it is with the rest of the pieces on this CD, sometimes it gets to me, sometimes not. So the second part lasting 18 minutes was lost on me totally, and went straight away to the third part, Canto di Forza, and further on I am skipping parts, rearranging the nice bits together.

[Harry]

Will be keeping both!

And rightly so, as I have a few interpretations too

[Harry]

Erkki Melartin Symphony No 1 C minor (1902)




Sarge

Played this box a few weeks ago, and consider it very high. Love his sound world!

[Sergeant Rock]

Played this box a few weeks ago, and consider it very high. Love his sound world!

I've had his symphonies for more than two years but I don't believe I've listened to them before today. That was a mistake. I really like this first symphony. Was surprised to hear echoes of Bruckner in the first movement...which I love! Moving on to the Symphony No. 3 in F major now. Composed in 1906/07.

Sarge

[Christo]

Armando Jose Fernandes.
Violin Concerto in E minor.

Luis de Freitas Branco.
Symphony No. 2.

Alexandre da Costa, Violin.
Extremadura SO, Jesus Amigo.

The violin concerto is a smasher, and the Symohony comes in a pristine performance

This fine cd helped me to finally recognize the qualities in Freitas Branco's Neoclassical phase; the symphony convinced me.

[Sergeant Rock]

Melartin Symphony No. 6 op. 100 (1925)




Sarge

[Todd]

The First.  Through headphones this time.  The piece goes on too long and really doesn't have much to offer.  Meh.

[André]

This fine cd helped me to finally recognize the qualities in Freitas Branco's Neoclassical phase; the symphony convinced me.

An excellent disc, indeed !

[Que]

I can't say the same for Kaakinen-Pilch but I would have ignored this if it weren't for you. Very special, loved it! Thanks.

Sounds encouraging. 

[Maestro267]

2020 in Review, Part 2

Varèse: Amériques
Orchestre National de France/Nagano

Villa-Lobos: Choros No. 9
Sao Paulo SO/Neschling

Benjamin: Symphony
London PO/Wordsworth