What are you listening 2 now?

[vandermolen]

Mozart: Piano Concertos nos. 23 and 24



I had forgotten how utterly marvelous these two works are, particularly the slow movements of both which give me chills with their tender simplicity. Just sublime stuff!


The whole disc:



Nothing earth-shattering, but there's some atmospheric, tuneful music here, particularly in the quite substantial Suite sobre cantos gallegos, which is worth a listen by anyone with a taste for Romantic nationalist music. There are two more volumes of Granados' orchestral music from Naxos - I wasn't aware he had written so much. Performances and sound are excellent.


Larsson: Symphony no. 3



I had high hopes for this work but was ultimately rather disappointed despite some very fine passages here and there. It's probably my least favorite of his three symphonies, with the excellent second definitely being my favorite. I sampled some of the later atonal-ish works on the disc, and boy, were they dreary!


Brahms: Piano Quintet and String Quartet no. 3



The Belcea Quartet is to Brahms what the Ebene Quartet is to Beethoven - they breathe new life into this music that makes most older recordings sound dull and stodgy by comparison. If you aren't blown away by their incredible fiery performance of the scherzo of the Piano Quintet (my favorite movement in all of Brahms, btw), you may want to check your heart rate!


Creston : Symphony no. 3 Three Mysteries



Utterly splendid stuff. Brilliant, life-enhancing music that radiates warmth from every bar - though there are some darker, anguished moments in the slow movement. Creston's 2nd and 3rd symphonies undoubtedly rank amongst my favorite American works of classical music.

+1 for the Creston and Copland Naxos disc - two great works. We'll have to agree to disagree about Raid's First Symphony Kyle 

[Harry]

Claudio Monteverdi.

Lagrime d'amante.
Madrigals of love and grief.

Excerpts from books, 1,2,3,4,5,6.

La Compagnia del Madrigale.

This is the latest release of La Compagnia, and the reason is a sad one indeed. Daniele Carnovich which was the principal bass of this and many other ensembles died in 2020 at the young age of 63. This CD is dedicated to him, on which are his last performances. I really appreciated his clean bass, always a team player, who loved Monteverdi above all others. It is very sad news to know that we will never hear him again. A very amiable man, well educated and a refined cultural mind. I have all the recordings of La Compagnia, and also Concerto Italiano, & La Venexiana on which he was also a participant. RIP my friend.
This particular CD is a worthy tribute, and impeccably recorded and performed, in which of course Daniele plays a great role.

[Biffo]

Haydn (attrib) : Oboe Concert in C major
Vaughan Williams: Oboe Concerto in A minor

Evelyn Rothwell oboe

Halle Orchestra (Haydn)
London Symphony Orchestra (RVW)

conducted by Sir John Barbirolli

[vers la flamme]

Seems some of y'all did not enjoy Sibelius's Pelléas as much as I did; I found the music quite good, and I don't always go for incidental music. Anyway, current listening:



Arvo Pärt: Symphony No.3. Neeme Järvi, Bamberg Symphony

A transitional work that sounds like nothing else he ever wrote, before or since, but it is an enjoyable one. Sounds like he just started getting into medieval music and wanted to incorporate some of its harmonies in an orchestral context. Phenomenal performance from the Bambergers under Järvi. This is a great disc!

[vers la flamme]

Just finished the Pärt, now:



Astor Piazzolla: Cuatro estanciónes porteñas. Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica

Good stuff...

[Madiel]

The Firebird

[aligreto]

Krommer: Clarinet Quartet Op. 82 [Klocker/Consortium Classicum]





Always lyrical and flowing, there is also a constant supply of bubbling, lively, dancing music in this work to keep one buoyed up and smiling.

[vers la flamme]

Krommer: Clarinet Quartet Op. 82 [Klocker/Consortium Classicum]





Always lyrical and flowing, there is also a constant supply of bubbling, lively, dancing music in this work to keep one buoyed up and smiling.

This set is really making the rounds here. Tempting me to check it out.

[aligreto]

That CD was one of my first purchases of the music of Pärt.

[Harry]

Andreas Romberg. (New release)

Symphony No. 1, opus 6 in E flat major.
No. 3 opus 33 in C major.
Overture, opus 54, "Die Großmut des Scipio".

Phion, Orchestra of Gelderland & Overijssel, Kevin Griffiths.

This first CD is the start of the complete recordings of Symphonies and other orchestral works by Andreas Romberg, and that is about time. A composer on the cusp between the classical and Romantic era, and is as good a composer as any of his time and more famous. And that shows in this first release on CPO. The orchestra was reduced in the forces used, and Griffith made them play in an authentic way, and the result is pretty good. Brisk tempi, minimum of vibrato and legato throughout all desks, and even the volume is kept in check. The result is an unbelievably clean sound, and a refreshing approach. This way I can get used to a modern orchestra playing music from that period. I hope this will be the norm from this day onward.  Bernhard Hanke made a state of the art recording, just listen how well the winds are recorded, and the strings sizzle. An absolute success to my ears. For all lovers of that period, very much recommended. Just one thing to remember, the playing time of 49:39 is rather short, but the performance is worth it.

[aligreto]

This set is really making the rounds here. Tempting me to check it out.

There is nothing deep or delving in it. It is light, bright and very entertaining music. It is also well played and recorded. It is definitely worth investigating.

[Papy Oli]

Melartin - Symphonies No.1 & 2

[Madiel]

Petrushka

[foxandpeng]

Dmitri Shostakovich
The Complete String Quartets
Borodin Quartet
Decca

SQs 5, 6 & 7


Thankful for some space today to be able to immerse myself in these, with all of the difficulty, tragedy and musicality that they bring. I'm taking a flat run at these and Holmboe at the moment and benefitting hugely. What a worthwhile task!

Usual disclaimer about the existence and value of other cycles, but these are a great springboard to go further.

[Harry]

Sergei Bortkiewicz.

Symphony No I in D major & No. 2 in E flat major.

BBC Scottish SO, Martin Brabbins.

I agree to all praise that is heaped on this recording and music by critics and public alike. These are extraordinary examples of works built on the fundament that other Russian composer laid, but no less original, even though one can find snippets in the music pointing towards other composers. To me that seems only natural, a occurrence that goes through all the ranks. As it is, these symphonies stand firm in the Russian tradition, and can hold its trousers up with dignity. What about the beautiful and haunting third movement of the first symphony, a magical Adagio, with an expressive solo for the Oboe. The interaction is one of great beauty. And that goes for practically all movements by the way!
This must be also one of the best recordings Hyperion made. Simon Eadon and his assistant Adam Chignall delivered a State of the Art recording that stunned me, and made me utter a WOW.

[Traverso]

louis Andriessen passed away at the age of 82.

[Traverso]

There is nothing deep or delving in it. It is light, bright and very entertaining music. It is also well played and recorded. It is definitely worth investigating.

Well put Fergus.

[Papy Oli]

Bach - Trio Sonata for organ No.1 BWV 525
Ton Koopman (Organ)

[Papy Oli]

Bach - Trio Sonata for organ No.1 BWV 525
Marie-Claire Alain (Organ)

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Hindemith Cello/Violin Concertos. Ancerl, Tortelier, et al.