What are you listening 2 now?

[Papy Oli]

Oli, I was really taken with this 'un.

Hi Karl,
I am really taken by Strauss full stop. I enjoyed Bourgeois too. Don Quixote and Metamorphosen really stand out so far in my little exploration.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

To the bolded text:

It appears that Antonio de Almeida is unpopular conductor here. His Turina, Dukas, Lalo etc., sound good to me. 

[San Antone]

Bach | Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I | Dina Ugorskaja

[foxandpeng]

Malcolm Arnold
Complete Conifer Recordings
Symphonies 5 & 6
Vernon Handley
Royal PO

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 2 from The Gerd Schaller Set

[Mirror Image]

Bohuslav Martinů's The Spectre's Bride 
    Jiří Bělohlávek, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Kühn Mixed Chorus

Lovely piece!

[aligreto]

Ibert: Suite Symphonique "Paris" [Jarvi]





This is exciting and atmospheric music delivered in a very evocative musical language. It is mostly light, buoyant, gay and even playful [with even a touch of the exotic thrown in] in its tone.

[Spotted Horses]

It appears that Antonio de Almeida is unpopular conductor here. His Turina, Dukas, Lalo etc., sound good to me. 

It seems that his Malipiero symphony cycle for Naxos has seen some criticism (including from me). Just today I revisited his recording of the Symphony No 6, "Degli arch'" and the main weakness, as I see it, is rather diffuse, wooly sound which doesn't serve the complex texture of the music very well. Sometimes the ensemble seems a little loose, which I am inclined to attribute to less than ideal allotment of rehearsal time for difficult, unfamiliar music.

I have another recording of this work, by Damian Iorio and the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, and a sampling of the first movement seems to indicate better audio, a swifter tempo. Aside from the audio, I wouldn't say it is clearly better and de Almeida's recording.

I find myself with two volumes of the de Almeida series and I am considering getting the remaining three.

I also acquired, with some difficulty, de Almeida's recording of the Lalo symphony (with a few other pieces) and am looking forward to listening to that as well.

[classicalgeek]

I couldn't find the Bekku Symphonies disc recommended by Cesar/Symphonic Addict on Spotify , but I did listen to this:

Akio Yashiro: Symphony
Sadao Bekku: Deux Prieres pour orchestre
NHK Symphony Orchestra
Hiroyuki Iwaki



A historic 1958 recording, but the sound was fine. I found the Yashiro Symphony grim and austere, but quite atmospheric. Lots of solo passage and chamber music-like textures; rarely was the full orchestra employed. Not an easy listen, but worth the time. Perhaps it was the French title of Bekku's work that put me in this frame of mind, but I was often reminded of Ravel or Roussel, and the second 'prayer' has a fugato (beginning in the strings) the sounds an awful lot like Honegger. Definitely enjoyed this work!

[Mirror Image]

It seems that his Malipiero symphony cycle for Naxos has seen some criticism (including from me). Just today I revisited his recording of the Symphony No 6, "Degli arch'" and the main weakness, as I see it, is rather diffuse, wooly sound which doesn't serve the complex texture of the music very well. Sometimes the ensemble seems a little loose, which I am inclined to attribute to less than ideal allotment of rehearsal time for difficult, unfamiliar music.

I have another recording of this work, by Damian Iorio and the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, and a sampling of the first movement seems to indicate better audio, a swifter tempo. Aside from the audio, I wouldn't say it is clearly better and de Almeida's recording.

I find myself with two volumes of the de Almeida series and I am considering getting the remaining three.

I also acquired, with some difficulty, de Almeida's recording of the Lalo symphony (with a few other pieces) and am looking forward to listening to that as well.

I'll chime in here: Malipiero's Symphony No. 6, "Degli archi" is one of my favorite pieces of music of all-time. I absolutely adore this work, but there is only one performance, for me, that has all the emotion and drive it needs in order to be successful. And it's this recording:



The recording itself is not perfect and is, in fact, rather boomy, reverberant and the orchestra are a bit too forward in the mix, but despite these sonic flaws, the performance is spectacular and incredibly moving for me. I own all of the recordings of this symphony and this performance moved me to tears. Something that seldom happens when I'm listening to music.

Anyway, just my two measly cents.

[Linz]

Bernhard Klee with the BBC Philharmonic in Bruckner's 9th Symphony

[Bachtoven]

This wonderful 2-SACD set arrived today, and as expected, it sounds fantastic in surround sound.

[Mirror Image]

John Tavener's Funeral Canticle 
    Paul Goodwin, The Choir and Orchestra of the Academy of Ancient Music, Patricia Rozario
    (soprano), Julia Gooding (soprano), George Mosley (baritone)

A certain well-known Youtube-based critic recently declared Tavener to be a 'bad composer'. One of the worst, indeed.
I disagree (to the point of unsubscribing from his channel, though I still watch intermittently).
Certainly as a chorister, I always enjoyed singing his shorter works (things like the Dormition of the Mother of God, etc)
This funeral canticle is extremely finely crafted, too, I think.
Anyway: I like it.

Who gives a s*** what he says! I'm not a fan of Taverner, but I wouldn't make a whole video on YouTube about it. The guy clearly has too many axes to grind. Anyway, a grain of salt I always say!

[Linz]

Colin Davis with the LSO in Bruckner 9

[ritter]

This eagerly awaited, long OOP and very scarce recording of Albéniz's Iberia landed today:



Just starting, but a very delicate Evocación, and a rhythmically alert El puerto (with excellent and highly nuanced dynamic contrasts), and masterful phrasing throughout, indicate that Claude Helffer will surely in my opinion join the distinguished list of French pianists (which includes Yvonne Loriod, Aldo Ciccolini, Olivier Chauzu, Jean-François Heisser) who've made this most Spanish of works their own, and have given us superb recordings of this monument of the piano repertoire.

As an unexpected bonus, CD 2 includes several Debussy pieces (six Préludes from the second book —including La puerta del vino—, the second series of the Images, the two Arabesques, Masques, and L'Isle joyeuse). That was the contents of a 1961 LP recorded by the now forgotten Club Français du Disque (Iberia, from 1963, was on the same label).  Very rare recordings which never had a wide circulation on LP, and this is their only transfer to CD AFAIK. Sound is surprisingly good for the vintage.

[Karl Henning]

This eagerly awaited, long OOP and very scarce recording of Albéniz's Iberia landed today:



Just starting, but a very delicate Evocación, and a rhythmically alert El puerto (with excellent and highly nuanced dynamic contrasts), and masterful phrasing throughout, indicate that Claude Helffer will surely in my opinion join the distinguished list of French pianists (which includes Yvonne Loriod, Aldo Ciccolini, Olivier Chauzu, Jean-François Heisser) who've made this most Spanish of works their own, and have given us superb recordings of this monument of the piano repertoire.

As an unexpected bonus, CD 2 includes several Debussy pieces (six Préludes from the second book —including La puerta del vino—, the second series of the Images, the two Arabesques, Masques, and L'Isle joyeuse). That was the contents of a 1961 LP recorded by the now forgotten Club Français du Disque (Iberia, from 1963, was in the same label).  Very rare recordings which never had a wide circulation on LP, and this is their only transfer to CD AFAIK. Sound is surprisingly good for the vintage.

Well done!

[ritter]

Well done!

Good evening, Karl! 

This Iberia is getting better and better. El Corpus Christi en Sevilla has the necessary excesses (the whole procession and bells thing), Rondeña is very well performed too (perhaps a tad too polite), but Almería is possibly the best I've ever listened to...what sounds come out of that Steinway! 

[Karl Henning]

Good evening, Karl! 

This Iberia is getting better and better. El Corpus Christi en Sevilla has the necessary excesses (the whole procession and bells thing), Rondeña is very well performed too (perhaps a tad too polite), but Almería is possibly the best I've ever listened to...what sounds come out of that Steinway! 

Sweet!

As for me, I've got to spin this disc again:

CD 11

Fauré Nocturnes
№ 9 in b minor, Op. 97
№ 10 in e minor, Op. 99
№ 11 in f# minor, Op. 104 № 1
№ 12 in e minor, Op. 107
№ 13 in b minor, Op. 119
Thème et Variations in c# minor, Op. 73
Éric Heidsieck

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Martin
Maria–Triptychon
Muriel Cantoreggi (violin), Juliane Banse (soprano)
German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Christoph Poppen



Gorgeous beyond belief.

[Karl Henning]

NP:

Martin
Maria–Triptychon
Muriel Cantoreggi (violin), Juliane Banse (soprano)
German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Christoph Poppen



Gorgeous beyond belief.

Looks tasty!