What are you listening 2 now?

[JBS]

NP: Ravel Gaspard de la nuit (François)

The concertos and solo piano works are all in the Francois set I'm listening to, although I haven't gotten to them yet.

[André]

Arnold: Overtures [Arnold]





Sussex Overture
Beckus The Dandipratt

My favourite Arnold disc... 0:)

[Mirror Image]

The concertos and solo piano works are all in the Francois set I'm listening to, although I haven't gotten to them yet.

Yep and quite fine recordings they are, too.

[André]

Indeed, there's a Stravinskian/Blochian wild range of styles to be found in Merikanto's output - from the late-romantic early works through the modernist mid-period works to the more neoclassical late works. A fascinating figure!

Couldn't put it better !

[Karl Henning]

"Wolferl"
Pf Cto in C, K. 035
Volodya Ashkenazy

[Roasted Swan]

'Huge-sounding' is an excellent term, and of course I am left with the pipe organ entering at its final moments. A brawny performance for sure!

I also really like the artwork on this one. Something about the glowing pool of water in the bottom right against the browns of the left and the greys of the top half. The man and his dog seem minuscule against the towering height and beauty of the surrounding nature scene, but provide some movement to the landscape. The perspective of near to far ground is wonderful, and I would love to wander this myself.

VS

One of the curious things about Manfred is that Tchaikovsky does NOT write a part for an organ at the end of the work.  The score - see image - quite clearly states "harmonium" - notice there are no pedal notes so it really is meant to be a harmonium not a grand organ (The 'full organ' (grand jeu) is a drawstop giving instantly the full power of the harmonium without the out-of-tune ranks).  Somewhere along the interpretative line someone decided a big concert organ was the way to go for a greater impact.  They were probably right in terms of sheer decibels but it ain't what was written......

[André]

Symphonies 9-11

Can't say I rooted for these works.

No 9 started as an oratorio before the composer realized it would have been too long - and verbose. It's about Jesus' apparitions to his disciples after the Resurrection. Rubbra recomposed the whole lot, tightening the narrative and subjecting his musical ideas to a more symphonic treatment. Quite beautiful, but without much drama and therefore robbing the music and its listeners of an emotional climax. That particular crux is left somewhat unresolved. For that specific material Elgar composed something much more involving.

Every Rubbra symphony from no 1 to 8 lasts about half an hour. As a symphonist, Rubbra was very much a 'structure' guy. It's somewhat unusual then to see him abandoning this familiar pattern for something quite different in his last three symphonies. No 9 lasts 45 minutes, Nos 10 and 11 not even 15 minutes. These pithy symphonies don't offer much in terms of thematic material. They are not just economical, but what they attempt to communicate is rather obliquely expressed. IOW repeated listenings will be necessary. After 2 attempts I'm still trying to figure what they are about.

[Todd]

Well played and in pristine sound, Grigoryan does subtle and nuanced, but she also hits keys hard, jarring a bit more than many other versions in a few spots.  It's not harsh, or anything, just harder hitting.  Excellent.

[VonStupp]

One of the curious things about Manfred is that Tchaikovsky does NOT write a part for an organ at the end of the work.  The score - see image - quite clearly states "harmonium" - notice there are no pedal notes so it really is meant to be a harmonium not a grand organ (The 'full organ' (grand jeu) is a drawstop giving instantly the full power of the harmonium without the out-of-tune ranks).  Somewhere along the interpretative line someone decided a big concert organ was the way to go for a greater impact.  They were probably right in terms of sheer decibels but it ain't what was written......

Interesting. I am not sure how a reed organ would stand up against full orchestral forces, but in the example you provide, it seems like it would at least complement the winds and high brass that were playing.

VS

[ritter]

Music by Gilbert Amy: Orchestrahl (with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by the composer) and the String Quartet No. 1 (Quatuor Parisii).

[Mirror Image]

First-Listen Franck!

Piano Quintet in F minor (David Lively, Quatuor Malibran)

From this set -

[Karl Henning]

One of the curious things about Manfred is that Tchaikovsky does NOT write a part for an organ at the end of the work.  The score - see image - quite clearly states "harmonium" - notice there are no pedal notes so it really is meant to be a harmonium not a grand organ (The 'full organ' (grand jeu) is a drawstop giving instantly the full power of the harmonium without the out-of-tune ranks).  Somewhere along the interpretative line someone decided a big concert organ was the way to go for a greater impact.  They were probably right in terms of sheer decibels but it ain't what was written......

And yet, after "Harmonium" is "Organ" (in Cyrillic)

TD:

"Wolferl"
Pf Cto in c minor, K. 491
Volodya Ashkenazy

[Roasted Swan]

Interesting. I am not sure how a reed organ would stand up against full orchestral forces, but in the example you provide, it seems like it would at least complement the winds and high brass that were playing.

VS

Interestingly, in light orchestral scores it was very common for an optional harmonium part to be included to support/replace/complement whatever woodwind you might or might not have in your orchestra.  My guess - and it really is just a guess - is that Tchaikovsky was looking at a way of supporting the wind textures at this point in the score not dominating them.  Quite different use of an organ within an orchestra from say Elgar who almost always uses the deep pedal notes to underpin the orchestra in a very distinctive way.

[VonStupp]

Interestingly, in light orchestral scores it was very common for an optional harmonium part to be included to support/replace/complement whatever woodwind you might or might not have in your orchestra.  My guess - and it really is just a guess - is that Tchaikovsky was looking at a way of supporting the wind textures at this point in the score not dominating them.  Quite different use of an organ within an orchestra from say Elgar who almost always uses the deep pedal notes to underpin the orchestra in a very distinctive way.

It must have been effective if you were short on resources. I know Percy Grainger used 'elastic scoring', which I think also included harmonium from time to time, but it certainly makes it difficult to nail down a definitive recorded version of his music.

As to your last point, I have noticed that Elgar liked to inject organ into the big moments of his cantatas and oratorios; but also Respighi, who seems to add color to his orchestra with organ pedal on quite a few occasions as well.

VS

[Madiel]

And yet, after "Harmonium" is "Organ" (in Cyrillic)

Lost in translation.

[bhodges]

Bartók: Konzert für Orchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony / Andrés Orozco-Estrada, live from June 2017) - Has become one of my favorite recent versions. Great energy, lots of detail, and superb audio and video. (Also at least one shot of a patron in the front row, sleeping. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG26BMDVR9E

--Bruce

[Karl Henning]

Bartók: Konzert für Orchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony / Andrés Orozco-Estrada, live from June 2017) - Has become one of my favorite recent versions. Great energy, lots of detail, and superb audio and video. (Also at least one shot of a patron in the front row, sleeping. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG26BMDVR9E

--Bruce

Key, it's a kind of celebrity!

[aligreto]

My favourite Arnold disc... 0:)

The music of Arnold is a new venture for me and I have been previously exposed to very little of it. It is a planned project for 2022.

[Mirror Image]

NP: Ravel Piano Concerto in G major (François/Cluytens)

[Mirror Image]

NP: Chávez Suite for Double Quartet (Southwest Chamber Music)