What are you listening 2 now?

[Que]

Morning listening:

[asin]B000NY1F4I[/asin]
Q

[vandermolen]

Great stuff, Cesar! Like you, I'm just starting to come around to the Bartok CfO. It's often regarded as one of his most immediately accessible works, though oddly enough I've found multiple other works of his more instantly appealing. The Atterberg is, of course, wonderful and I agree with you about each movement getting better than the previous one (and the first movement is already very good). By coincidence, I was just listening to RVW's 8th the other day (Boult's EMI recording) and had mixed feelings about it. I enjoyed the extroverted finale the most (what great fun it is!) although I agree with you about it being a bit odd in the context of the whole work. I also enjoyed the first movement, but found the inner two movements a bit too subdued for my liking. Maybe it's the fault of the performance, which seemed a bit characterless at times (with the exception of the finale). I guess I'm not the greatest fan of Boult's conducting. I'll have to check out the Hickox recording.

Three fine discs! Previn's recording of VW's 8th Symphony has a magical, luminous quality to it, especially the opening, which I find very appealing. Great fan as I am of Boult, I think that Previn is unrivalled in 3 and 8 and arguably 2 and 5 as well.

[Harry]

Claudio Monteverdi: Madrigali Libro 8, excerpts.

Hor che'l Ciel e la Terra; Lamento della Ninfa; Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda.

Marco Marazzoli: La Fiera di Farfa.

Le Poeme Harmonique, Vincent Dumestre.

FonoForum 03 / 11: "Vincent Dumestre has a preference for extreme tempos and sound settings. Rarely has Monteverdi's Madrigal'Hor che'l ciel e la terra' from the famous Eighth Madrigal Book been so stretched, at first so dark, later so garishly heard. Dumestre and his ensemble Le Poeme Harmonique do not take care of the poetic form of Petrarca's sonnet, which places the torments of love of an individual in a world context, but rather of the expression."

I rather agree with this review, and would add a few things more. First of all it is closely recorded, too close for comfort, so you're fiddling around with the volume, all the time, almost every few minutes. Secondly, Isabelle Druet a mezzo, almost screams out her parts, not everywhere, but often enough, and then the volume has to go back more than 50%. I am not a great fan of her voice, and this is the reason why! Ughhhh.
Let me put it like this, I heard far better performances of the music on this CD. Be warned!

[vandermolen]

Some bracing early morning listening!

[Christo]

Some bracing early morning listening!

You'll be breathceless, after more than one hour!

[Papy Oli]

Good morning all,

Beethoven
Piano Trio in E Flat Major Op.38 (after the septet Op.20)
Piano Trio No.5 in D Major Op.70 Np.1 "Ghost"
Beaux Arts Trio (from the big box)

[asin]B01MST9FDT[/asin]

[Harry]

Airs de Cours Français de la Fin du XVIe Siècle.

Music by: Beaulieu, Guedron, Boyer, Carroubel, Le Blanc, Caietain, Lorenzini, Le Roy, Costeley.

Vincent Dumestre and Le Poème Harmonique return here again to their very own repertoire, the French Air de cour. In the second half of the 16th century it gradually displaced the more complex, polyphonic Renaissance chanson from courtly music. With works by Pierre Guédron, Guillaume Costeley, Adrian Le Roy and Didier Le Blanc, among others, the programme presents the climax of the transition from the French Renaissance to early Baroque. As usual, Vincent Dumestre, a group of exquisite singers and instrumentalists, has gathered around him to share these rare musical treasures with

In all respects a wonderful CD. The singing is sublime and the repertoire is exquisite. You want to play it over and over again. It has the right vibes.

[Papy Oli]

Some bracing early morning listening!

Rather you than me 

[Papy Oli]

Beethoven

Piano Trio in D Major (After symphony No.2)
Triosatz in E Flat Major, Hess 48 Allegretto
Piano Trio No.4 in B Flat major, Op.11 "Gassenhauer"

Beaux Arts Trio (from the big box)

[asin]B01MST9FDT[/asin]

[Traverso]

Joan Cererols

Missa Pro Defunctis
Missa De Batalla

[Harry]

Il Fasolo?

Ferrari, Pallavicino, and anonymous masters.

Le Poeme Harmonique, Vincent Dumestre.

"Le Poème Harmonique under Vincent Dumestre presents an extraordinary recording here. These are compositions from Naples for and in the Carnevale, which are performed lively and really groovy. [...]So it is by no means an exaggeration if I really warmly recommend this CD to you

The unsecured manuscript situation revives Le Poème Harmonique with an almost breathtaking beauty and a sense of relaxed historicity is an unqualified recommendation. Everything is just right: an intelligently arranged program of wonderful music sung by exquisite voices, played and staged with rhythmic drive, passion and verve".

It is indeed a adequate performance, not entirely my style, but quite nice.

[vandermolen]

You'll be breathceless, after more than one hour!

Yes, and feeling seasick. All that fresh air and poetry!

[Madiel]

Half-hearted talk about Rachmaninov's Etudes-Tableaux is forcing me, forcing me, to go listen to Ashkenazy playing op.39 which is basically one of the best piano recordings ever.



The other thing on the same disc, which I may get to, is Ashkenazy and Previn playing the 2-piano version of the Symphonic Dances. Truly, this is one of my favourite single discs (even if it's in a box).

[vandermolen]

VC. Terrific performance and remarkable recording for 1946:

[vers la flamme]

But not all of the Preludes of course.

No, not even close to all of them. There's 7 recorded here in this Richter box set. For the complete set I like Vladimir Ashkenazy on Decca.

[aukhawk]

Half-hearted talk about Rachmaninov's Etudes-Tableaux ...

Shocking wasn't it. 
Listening to the Symphonic Dances right now. Thanks for reminding me of it.

[Madiel]

Shocking wasn't it. 

At least it helped me figure out what to listen to. I've been a bit stuck. And I kind of wanted to give Shostakovich a break for at least another day.

[Harry]

Nova metamorfosi.
Sacred Music in Milan in the early 17th Century.

Works by: Claudio Monteverdi, Vincenzo Ruffo, Aquilino Coppini.

Le Poeme Harmonique, Vincent Dumestre.

A fabulous performance, makes a lasting impression, not in the least by the beautiful singing of Claire Lefilliatre, and Catherine Padout. Really impressive.

[Harry]

Clara Schumann, Piano Works.
CD I. Second rerun.

Susanne Grützmann was born in Leipzig in 1964 and studied with Dieter Zechlin in Berlin. She won prizes at the Robert Schumann Competition in Zwickau in 1981, the Concurso Vianna da Motta in Lisbon in 1983, the Bach Competition in Leipzig in 1984 and other international competitions. The first prize at the renowned ARD competition in Munich in 1989 confirmed her reputation and she is now regarded as one of the best German pianists
*********************************
She is indeed one of the best German pianists I know. The way she handles Clara Schumann's sublime compositions is magical, and revelatory. Actually I cannot stop listening to these interpretations, so much do they influence me. Grutzmann can be energetic and brilliant, but also contemplative. She is very sensitive to the many details, and handles the forte and pianissimo in a restrained manner, much to the heightening of the music's impact. Clara Schumann was every bit as good in composing as her husband was, that is immediately clear when the "Variationen fur das Pianoforte uber ein thema von Robert Schumann, opus 20, (1853) comes out of my speakers. Apart from that it is fabulously recorded. I am very content with this set.   

[San Antone]

Beethoven : Piano Concertos
Lubin | Hogwood