What are you listening 2 now?

[Florestan]

Schumann, Eric Le Sage, first volume.



This volume has:

Papillons, op.2
Davidsbundlertanze, op.6
Intermezzi, op.4

(so works that have Schumann's fragmentary approach... apparently he described the Intermezzi as "longer Papillons")

What do you think?

[Harry]

Switching to Spotify to give this set another chance



https://earlymusicreview.com/the-complete-fitzwilliam-virginal-book/

I think I'm already convinced that my initial response was too harsh....

That's good to hear!

[foxandpeng]

William Alwyn
Symphony 2
David Lloyd Jones
RLPO
Naxos

I don't think I have heard Alwyn's symphonies more than two or three times through, so good to explore something basically new. .

[Harry]

I never realised how gratifying it is to play music from one's collection. And above all the freedom to do it, when all the new stuff is played, and I have time to return to what I have, and in the process culling out the ones that i missed the last time. Not this disc though. Played it in 2007, and never again, until now.

Carl Friedrich Abel.
4 Flute Concertos, No. 12,3,6.

Karl Kaiser, Transverse Flute.
La Stagione Frankfurt, Michael Schneider.
CPO recording 1993.

[Que]

That's good to hear!

Luckily it is still available on disc.   

[Harry]

Luckily it is still available on disc.   

And for a good price, I paid premium for all the individual releases. O, well, mustn't complain

[Que]

Another test drive on Spotify:

[Madiel]

What do you think?

I really liked the Davidsbundlertanze. The Papillons... the recording kind of didn't feel that immediate and dynamic?

I'll certainly keep trying the series. Quite possibly in between about 3 other Schumann series!

[springrite]

Sauguet: Symphony #1 (Ex-Pat, on Marco Polo label)

Saw some discussions about this symphony. I like it (as I do all four of his symphonies).

[Florestan]

I really liked the Davidsbundlertanze. The Papillons... the recording kind of didn't feel that immediate and dynamic?

I'll certainly keep trying the series. Quite possibly in between about 3 other Schumann series!

I wonder how you manage to keep track of your progress with so many projects running in the same time. 

[Harry]

Another test drive on Spotify:

I enjoyed Krieger more as I thought.

[aligreto]

Handel: Acis and Galatea [Butt]





Any vocal work by Handel is usually a joy to listen to. In this case the orchestral, instrumental music is very well presented in every respect. It is well played, well recorded and well balanced and sensitive to the vocal elements. The instrumental music is also well driven and presented. No problem, surely? Unfortunately there is a problem in the vocal department, for me. This is another case, for me, where the focus on correct, even perfect, vocal articulation kills all sentiment of expression in the vocal delivery. What is more, it is not just one of the soloists, they all do it! To me it is all too vocally proper and [vocally] emotionally sterile and uninteresting. An opportunity lost, in my opinion, given the quality of the orchestral accompaniments throughout.

[Que]

I enjoyed Krieger more as I thought.

I also like the music. But how is the sound on disc? Sound on Spotify is murky, even cavernous.

Casal does well, but I don't rule out this can be done better.
I'm waiting for this new recording to become available on Spotify, recommended on Klassik.com:



https://magazin.klassik.com/reviews/reviews.cfm?TASK=REVIEW&RECID=37345&REID=19717

[Madiel]

I wonder how you manage to keep track of your progress with so many projects running in the same time. 

By writing things down. A piece of paper / various Word documents.

The composers I've really dove into have Word documents for what their body of work even is, which then often gets supplements without notes about album options etc.

Bloody Sibelius has about 5 documents, because trying to get a handle on him was so difficult.  There was working out whether I actually wanted any volumes of the BIS Sibelius edition, one about albums rather than works, one that was just about ways of buying the incidental music, and more recently the one that has the research of working out what Sibelius' early lists of opuses looked like before he completely scrambled the first part of the list...

So yeah, now the Schumann Word document has some minor notes about some complete piano works cycles.  The Schubert Word document still has the first part of me noting some piano sonata cycles (you gave me Zacharias I believe)... which I can pick up again at some point, having eliminated several pianists who just weren't doing it for me the first time.  The thing is, there's no rush. If it takes me 2 years to get back to Schubert piano sonatas again, that's okay... and I won't have spent any money on Schubert piano sonatas in the meantime.  Though of course subscribing to streaming services costs something.

You should know that I also have 2 pieces of paper for keeping track of the podcasts I listen to (only 217 episodes behind in total), and one that helps me track of TV shows I want to watch on streaming.

[Traverso]

Beethoven

Symphony No.2 & 5

[Florestan]

By writing things down. A piece of paper / various Word documents.

The composers I've really dove into have Word documents for what their body of work even is, which then often gets supplements without notes about album options etc.

Bloody Sibelius has about 5 documents, because trying to get a handle on him was so difficult.  There was working out whether I actually wanted any volumes of the BIS Sibelius edition, one about albums rather than works, one that was just about ways of buying the incidental music, and more recently the one that has the research of working out what Sibelius' early lists of opuses looked like before he completely scrambled the first part of the list...

So yeah, now the Schumann Word document has some minor notes about some complete piano works cycles.  The Schubert Word document still has the first part of me noting some piano sonata cycles (you gave me Zacharias I believe)... which I can pick up again at some point, having eliminated several pianists who just weren't doing it for me the first time.  The thing is, there's no rush. If it takes me 2 years to get back to Schubert piano sonatas again, that's okay... and I won't have spent any money on Schubert piano sonatas in the meantime.  Though of course subscribing to streaming services costs something.

You should know that I also have 2 pieces of paper for keeping track of the podcasts I listen to (only 217 episodes behind in total), and one that helps me track of TV shows I want to watch on streaming.

I'm impressed by such thoroughness. I never made any notes about anything and my listening is mostly whimsical. 

Yes, I gave you the Zacharias Schubert sonatas some time ago. What do your notes tell, did you like it?

[Harry]

I also like the music. But how is the sound on disc? Sound on Spotify is murky, even cavernous.

Casal does well, but I don't rule out this can be done better.
I'm waiting for this new recording to become available on Spotify, recommended on Klassik.com:



https://magazin.klassik.com/reviews/reviews.cfm?TASK=REVIEW&RECID=37345&REID=19717

The sound is better as you might hear on Spotify, but it isn't top of the bill. By definition the MDG recording must be excellent in sound. But I am not tempted at full price to be honest. But as I stated I liked the music, but did not comment on sound, which is rectified now

[Que]

Dipping some more into this set:

[Spotted Horses]

High time I listened to this album ....

My impulsive reaction was "I need to get that." Then, "Oh, I have that, but with a different cover."

[Harry]

Yesterday I played the first CD of this set and I was duly impressed, as I am with the second instalment. Ricardo Requejo is a fine pianist with an ear for the finer details of the music, and puts a drive behind it, just right. The label Claves recorded it in a full bodied sound with space around the instrument. The recording was awarded a Diaspon d'Or. So you might assume I found this to be an unexpected pleasure after so many years. I wonder what the Naxos recordings will give me, for it was an equally long time ago I listened to them.

Isaac Albeniz.
Piano Works, CD II.

Iberia Book 3 & 4.
Chants d'Espagne.