What are you listening 2 now?

[classicalgeek]

Over the weekend:

Falla
The Three-Cornered Hat (complete ballet)
Florence Quivar, mezzo-soprano
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Jesus Lopez-Cobos
(on CD)



Outstanding in every way! It's tough to imagine a better recording.


Dvorak
Symphony no. 1
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Rafael Kubelik
(on CD)



I do enjoy the first three movements - Dvorak's effortless gift for melody is present from the beginning. Maybe the first movement runs a little long (fortunately Kubelik doesn't take the exposition repeat), but other than that, good stuff. The finale, however, is a letdown - the thematic material, to me, is run-of-the-mill, and doesn't sustain the movement's nearly-14 minute length. But there's enough in the first three movements to keep me coming back, and who knows, maybe sometime the finale will 'click' for me.

[Mapman]

CD 4
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Johann Adam Hiller Opus 100
Ballet Suite Opus 130

Bamberger Symphoniker
Horst Stein conductor

I'll join you (although a different recording) for my Maiden-Listen Monday
Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Johann Adam Hiller Opus 100
Järvi: Concertgebouw

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Over the weekend:

Falla
The Three-Cornered Hat (complete ballet)
Florence Quivar, mezzo-soprano
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Jesus Lopez-Cobos
(on CD)



Outstanding in every way! It's tough to imagine a better recording.

Just for my personal taste, I prefer the de Burgos, Ansermet, Dutoit, and Bernstein recordings to this one.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Scott Joplin


Joshua Rifkin

Very interesting! I must check the recording.

[Todd]

[Traverso]

Very interesting! I must check the recording.

You know that Rifkin is the one who started  to perform the Bach cantatas with only one singer per choral  .I like the way he plays Scott Joplin.He recorded alsof a recording for Nonesuch.

[Mirror Image]

Now playing this entire Weinberg recording on CPO:

[Symphonic Addict]

Britten: String Quartet No. 1

Britten's output for this medium has strong merits to be considered among the greatest in the 20th century. Music with personality and expertly written.

[Symphonic Addict]

I'll join you (although a different recording) for my Maiden-Listen Monday
Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Johann Adam Hiller Opus 100
Järvi: Concertgebouw

A great disc!

[JBS]

You know that Rifkin is the one who started  to perform the Bach cantatas with only one singer per choral  .I like the way he plays Scott Joplin.He recorded alsof a recording for Nonesuch.

Rifkin's recordings, along with the Houston production of Treemonisha, were the ones that made people aware of Joplin as someone who did a lot more than just writing the opening music for The Sting.

TD
The last CD of the Naxos Poulenc set.

Track 1 is the French version of Babar: I'm skipping that in favor of the English version, the final track. A 13 yo narrates the French version, a 12 yo narrates the English version.

[Mirror Image]

Britten: String Quartet No. 1

Britten's output for this medium has strong merits to be considered among the greatest in the 20th century. Music with personality and expertly written.

Damn right! Britten was masterful in chamber music.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Janáček
The Cunning Little Vixen
Zuzana Hudecova, Dalibor Jedlicka, Vaclav Zitek, Lucia Popp, et. al.
Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsoper
Mackerras

From this set -

[Symphonic Addict]

Sawyers: Symphony No. 1

A nice symphony of modern times. The orchestra play quite good I must say.

Rubbra, Arnold and Mahler come to mind when hearing this. Perhaps his style is not particularly distinctive, but the music is compelling.

[Mirror Image]

Sawyers: Symphony No. 1

A nice symphony of modern times. The orchestra play quite good I must say.

Rubbra, Arnold and Mahler come to mind when hearing this. Perhaps his style is not particularly distinctive, but the music is compelling.

This is my problem with a lot of contemporary composers is their style doesn't speak of themselves, but of other composers. It takes a unique composer to take their own influences and form something original out of it. I can't even imagine the challenges of being a composer today as so much has been done already.

[Mandryka]

Leaving comfort zone. The music is not without interest. I mean, it's not formulaic.

[Operafreak]

 



Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F minor Op. 95- 'Serioso'/Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131

Belcea Quartet

[DavidW]

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F minor Op. 95- 'Serioso'/Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131

Belcea Quartet

Nice!  I've been enjoying that set recently as well.  They are very dynamic.  Could be warmer, but well played.

[Symphonic Addict]

This is my problem with a lot of contemporary composers is their style doesn't speak of themselves, but of other composers. It takes a unique composer to take their own influences and form something original out of it. I can't even imagine the challenges of being a composer today as so much has been done already.

Even though not being influenced by other composers or styles is in itself quite difficult, I feel the last sentence being especially true.

[Symphonic Addict]

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5

It's fun to notice the similarity between the opening and closing notes/motifs/ideas of this symphony and Walton's 1st.

[Mapman]

Vaughan Williams: Symphony #5
Thomson/LSO