What are you listening 2 now?

[Linz]

Tchaikovsky Symphony 6 and the Nutcracker Suite

[Karl Henning]

CD 41

Missa « In tempore belli » in C, H. XXII:9
Missa Sancta Nicolai in G, H. XXII:6

CD 53

Sibelius
Symphony № 2 in D, Op. 43

Four Legends, Op. 22
II. The Swan of Tuonela
IV. Lemminkainen's Return

Karelia Suite, Op. 11
I. Intermezzo
II. Ballade
III. Alla marcia

[Klavier1]

Wonderful playing and sound. The music isn't bad, either.

[foxandpeng]

The symphony is just starting. The notes describe the first movement, Largo as filled with  'desolate landscapes' and of 'life forms coming into existence'. The marking could have been Creepioso. Very suspenseful stuff.

The first tracks are devoted to Five bulgarian dances, heady and hyperactive, full of angularity and drive.

Everything I have heard by Tabakov impresses me. Outstanding.

[Artem]

Newish release from Kairos of chamber and vocal music by Chinese-American composer. One listen was enough for me.

[Linz]

Johann Sebastian Bach

[aligreto]

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 [Weller]





This is a wonderful presentation of this very fine work. Weller showcases the inherent drama, tension, the wonderfully inventive scoring and the intriguing harmonic structures of the work very well. It is a powerful sound world and Weller does it great justice. The music is allowed to breathe wonderfully in the central movement. The outer movements are always exciting and engaging.

[Iota]

THREAD DUTY:

Heinz Holliger plays Bruno Maderna's Third Oboe Concerto (Gary Bertini conducts the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra).



What a beautiful piece, and beautifully played as well!

+1

That's excellent Brahms playing on that disc. Such an invigorating approach, full of fresh, illuminating thought.

[Linz]

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto

[JBS]

Mono 1955

[SonicMan46]

Today, a small package from 'across the pond' from PrestoMusic - having a CPO sale so picked up the two Markus Becker recordings below for $10 USD each; already own Dussek's Keyboard Works played on a variety of fortepianos and with a number of different performers, so some modern piano options - reviews attached - best comments from the Fanfare reviewer some minor (needed?) complaints from others.  Dave

 

[Todd]

Disc four.  A few misses in these 78 era recordings, but fewer than in the King International live cycle.  What could have been!

[André]

Listening to the compilation of live recordings by Suzanne Danco:



Mme. Danco's unusual voice and refined artistry are growing on me (even if I've known her since, well, ever: her recordings of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni under Krips and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro under Kleiber were in my parents' collection since before I was born).

Here we get the rarity of Darius Milhaud conducting Satie's Socrate. I still haven't made up my mind as to whether this is a refined, delicate score, or just an utterly boring one.  . Milhaud and Danco make a strong case for the piece (even if the work may gain from having different singers for the different "characters" —as is the case in the Dervaux recording on EMI). I'll probably revisit this sometime soon.

Then we get three long extracts from Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, with Danco, Camille Maurane, and conducted by Inghelbrecht. Danco's Mélisande is a well-known quantity, and justly famous,as is the case of Maurane's Pelléas (I actually have both of them together, also conducted by Inghelbrecht, in a BBC broadcast on Testament). These extracts were pure delight, with everyone in great form. But what is jaw-dropping is Maurane: it's as if he were whispering in your ear, every word perfectly intelligible. Not a beautiful voice as such, but one used with supreme artistry.

The disc ends with a perfectly fine rendition of Ravel's Shéhérazade, conducted by no less than Charles Munch. I already knew Danco in this music from her famous recording under Ansermet, and must admit I prefer other singers to her in this particular piece (e.g. Heather Harper under Boulez, Christiane Karg, etc.).

In any case, an excellent CD showcasing the great talents of this versatile singer.

A superb disc indeed, with the mesmerizing Pelléas scenes standing out.

[aligreto]

Bach: St. John Passion [Fasolis] - Part II





From the opening bars one detects that the tone of this presentation is a wonderful mix of the devotional and the dramatic. Neither the devotional nor the dramatic elements are exaggerated here, however. It is well balanced in that regard. The pacing, although slightly assertive, is never aggressive. It is a very fine performance from both the vocalists [both solo and choral] and the instrumentalists. I particularly like the choral singing. There are also some wonderful sounds from the various authentic instruments. The recorded sound is also very good. The presentation has a great presence to it.

[Karl Henning]

CD 82

String Quartet in d minor, Op. 9 № 4
String Quartet in C, Op. 9 № 1
String Quartet in G, Op. 9 № 3

CD 42
Harmoniemesse in B^b H. XXII:14
Mariazeller Messe in C, H. XXII:8

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Takemitsu
Autumn
Kakujo Nakamura, biwa
Katsuya Yokoyama, shakuhachi
Tokyo Metropolitan SO
Ryusuke Numajiri

From this outstanding set -



I know some people like a little more forward momentum in what they listen to, but, for me, Takemitsu is a master of painting aural pictures. One of my favorite composers, too.

[Papy Oli]

Is the Seventh a particular favourite, Olivier?

Not particularly, Fergus 

I just picked one I was familiar with to see what Norrington and Brüggen did with it.  0:)

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Merely picking nits at this point (and probably off to buy the Alto Kondrashin myself! -thanks for the suggestion), but the Järvi is actually readily available from Presto, in physical or digital form equally well as best as I can tell. It's also available readily from Amazon, but at ridiculous prices.

Meanwhile...

William Walton's Sonata for String Orchestra - 1993)
    Jan Latham-Koenig, London Philharmonic Orchestra

Nice album!

NP:

Takemitsu
Autumn
Kakujo Nakamura, biwa
Katsuya Yokoyama, shakuhachi
Tokyo Metropolitan SO
Ryusuke Numajiri

From this outstanding set -



I know some people like a little more forward momentum in what they listen to, but, for me, Takemitsu is a master of painting aural pictures. One of my favorite composers, too.

Big fan of Wakasugi here!

[DavidW]

William Alwyn: Symphony No.3. David Lloyd-Jones, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Killer. Very dark, intense, and mysterious, almost proto-Arnoldian.

I followed your example and listened to the third as well today.  Great find!  I like that dark, brooding soundscape.  I plan on going back to it a few times this week.

[vandermolen]

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 [Weller]





This is a wonderful presentation of this very fine work. Weller showcases the inherent drama, tension, the wonderfully inventive scoring and the intriguing harmonic structures of the work very well. It is a powerful sound world and Weller does it great justice. The music is allowed to breathe wonderfully in the central movement. The outer movements are always exciting and engaging.

Totally agree - a great set.

TD
Shostakovich Symphony No.5 Moscow PO, Kondrashin.
A very fine performance and also a nostalgia trip for me as I first encountered this symphony (in this recording) on LP in the Netherlands in 1974.