What are you listening 2 now?

[JBS]

David Fray's Goldbergs.  I came to this recording with certain expectations.  Fray is as interventionist a major label pianist as is out there now, and he more or less did everything I expected right from the start.  The Aria and Aria da capo are both ridiculously slow but sublimely controlled and gorgeous.  Starting with the first variation, Fray plays the work in a mightily pianistic conception, with sometimes outsize dynamics, generous pedaling in spots, lovely tonal shading, etc.  Some of pianissimo playing sounds meltingly lovely, and some of his outbursts sound almost Horowitzian (albeit with softer hammers).  He spaces out some phrases to the Nth degree, and plays some notes with longer values than he should, yet it all works.  My only quibble is with the Quodlibet, which sounds a bit rough sonically, but given the supremely fine sound throughout, that is clearly a conscious choice by all involved.  At a whopping eighty-seven minutes, this is one to revel in for a while.  This will definitely not be to everyone's taste, but it most certainly is to mine.  I waited until this year to buy so that I would have a guaranteed purchase of the year early on.  Fantastic.

That's a fairly accurate description. I wasn't as enthused about it as you, but it certainly is an approach that is coherent and well-executed.
TD


All 15
CDs 4 and 5 of this

[Symphonic Addict]

I don't remember having heard the Bernstein on DG yet. This, on the other hand, has vigour and wizardry galore to hold the musical narration.

[Mirror Image]

NP: Saint-Saëns Septet in E-flat, Op. 65 (Nash Ensemble)



I've heard this work before, but it's still just as exquisite as it was the last time I heard it.

[Mirror Image]

Pettersson: Symphony No. 5
Hartmann: Symphony Nr. 4 for string orchestra

The Pettersson was kind of a disappointment. The music has some purpose, but it doesn't exclude it does meander quite a bit. The Hartmann, on the other hand, is intense and terrifying! Superb account this!

Hartmann rules! Love his music. Pettersson...eh, not so much.

[Mirror Image]

This still seems the performance to beat in terms of French authenticity and style of performing.

Martinon certainly had the full measure of the work.

[TheGSMoeller]

Disc 2 of Capriccio, and Prokofiev's 3rd Symphony from this Leinsdorf set...

[Mirror Image]

Disc 2 of Capriccio, and Prokofiev's 3rd Symphony from this Leinsdorf set...

Nice! I should revisit Capriccio, it's been too long.

[Symphonic Addict]

Hartmann rules! Love his music. Pettersson...eh, not so much.

It seems that from Pettersson's 6th Symphony on, his style becomes more personal and distinctive. This 5th Sym. didn't hold my interest that much.

[Mirror Image]

Closing the night out with: Saint-Saëns Samson et Dalila, opera in three acts, Op. 47: Printemps qui commence (Act 1) (Maria Callas/Prêtre)

[Mirror Image]

It seems that from Pettersson's 6th Symphony on, his style becomes more personal and distinctive. This 5th Sym. didn't hold my interest that much.

I'm just not attracted to Pettersson's brand of doom and gloom. There's not enough harmonic color in his music to warrant my attention any longer.

[Traverso]

I saw this advertisement   and I immediately thought of Que who is a lot richer than he thought.
An advertisement offering 1500 euros on a Dutch site for the Michael Rabin recordings (EMI)
It's not bad on ebay either, $1400!

https://www.marktplaats.nl/l/cd-s-en-dvd-s/cd-s-klassiek/#q:michaek+rabin

https://www.ebay.nl/itm/165034674847?hash=item266cd54a9f:g:6yQAAOSwT0thJSDd

[Traverso]

Beethoven

piano sonatas 18-22

[Florestan]

Maiden listen to these works.



Atmospheric, haunting, magical and poetic music in colorful, lush orchestration. Moderately tuneful too. The opening of In the Faery Hills is magical. November Woods reminded me of Tapiola in places. Me likes. Bax is far from deserving the bad rap he got very recently in another thread.

[Que]

I saw this advertisement   and I immediately thought of Que who is a lot richer than he thought.
An advertisement offering 1500 euros on a Dutch site for the Michael Rabin recordings (EMI)
It's not bad on ebay either, $1400!

https://www.marktplaats.nl/l/cd-s-en-dvd-s/cd-s-klassiek/#q:michaek+rabin

https://www.ebay.nl/itm/165034674847?hash=item266cd54a9f:g:6yQAAOSwT0thJSDd

Please don't tell my wife!   

[Traverso]

Please don't tell my wife!   

Very funny....

[Traverso]

Beethoven

The sonata 22 with Backhaus (mono) was really very fine,now further with Gulda.

piano sonatas  23-27

[Tsaraslondon]

An unashamedly big band approach to Mozart, but, if that doesn't bother you too much, a rather fine performance. The soloists let it down a bit (Tomova-Sintov past her best as a Mozartian and Burchaladze a bit rough and ready) but the choral singing is excellent and Karajan's tempi hardly controversial.

I enjoy it.

[Que]

On Spotify:

[aligreto]

Fauré: Piano Quintet No. 2 [Rogé/Quatuor Ysaÿe]





For me, it is always interesting to track the progress of the development of a composer's music chronologically to experience the development and expansion of their voice and musical language. And so it is here with Fauré for me in this set. I have followed his progression in this format from his Op. 15 to this Op. 115 with great interest and appreciation.

I really like this opening movement. The music is mature, texturally rich, contemplative and ruminative. It is also expressively and emotionally rich and expansive and these musicians respond well to these demands on them. The second movement is short in length but this presentation is big in its delivery of an exciting, buoyant and driven piece of music. The slow movement is wonderfully scored. The music is very lyrical and it is wonderfully harmonised and emotionally engaged. It is a very fine piece of musical writing and a delight to listen to. The final movement offers wonderful rhythmic, textural and pacing contrasts. It is an exciting and enjoyable conclusion to a very fine, mature and engaging work.

[Papy Oli]

Roussel - Symphony No.2 (From the Martinon Icon box)