What are you listening 2 now?

[Daverz]

Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3.  Time for a listen to this old favorite at good volume on a muggy day in the foothills of Southern California.  Summer is here with a vengeance.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Feldman
Palais de Mari
Philip Thomas

From this set -



Feldman's last work for solo piano.

[Mandryka]

When I listened to CÜ III today it was on my rather newly upgraded NAIM system, which reproduces the sound in a rather objective manner - sometimes too objective - and my two Ruarc Prologue II floor speakers and an Audiovector QR subwoofer. My listening room is too small for more advanced equipment than this. The listening to day made me more aware of Kooiman's registrations and the balance, but still I think the engineering isn't optimal. The Gabler organ is notoriously difficult to record, but I own several recordings with this organ, which definitely surpass the Coronata recording as to presence and definition of the sound. It's the same with the Alkmaar organ, which I on my upgraded system found even worse engineered than before. However both vol. II of the CÜ III and vol. II of the AoF sound better than vol. I, because the registrations for the most part are less problematic.

Do you think it's just my imagination when I say that his style is quite lyrical, longish phrases?

It's certainly true that when I listened to AoF I first, I said to myself that the reason Brilliant haven't run with this is the sound. (Ironically, given that some of their own organ sound engineering is hardly the bee's knees.)

[kyjo]

Debussy: Violin Sonata in G minor
Marcia Crayford (violin), Ian Brown (piano)

Despite the restless oscillations between sombre and playful, and the quasi stream of consciousness unpredictability, there's a feeling of an utter rightness about the structure, and great depth to the Violin Sonata. It seemed to perfectly meet the moment for me today.

Crayford and Brown do a fine job in slightly old school acoustics.

You describe music so eloquently, I must say!

[kyjo]

Dvorak
Requiem
Maria Stader, soprano
Sieglinde Wagner, mezzo-soprano
Ernst Haefliger, tenor
Kim Borg, bass
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus
Karel Ancerl
(on Spotify)



I believe it's my first time listening to this work, and my goodness, is it gorgeous! Haunting, comforting, and heartbreakingly beautiful... the tenor solo in 'Recordare, Jesu pie' left me speechless. I definitely need to check out more of his choral music.

Oh yes, it's sad that this work isn't better known. I'd take it over a number of more well-known Requiems any day (I won't name which ones). It's a work full of drama, beauty, and great depth, showing a very different side of the composer best known for the 9th Symphony and Slavonic Dances. I only know Antoni Wit's recording on Naxos, which is superb. Oh, and don't miss Dvorak's Stabat Mater, either!

[kyjo]

Ildebrando Pizzetti: Violin Concerto

Rather interesting to say the least. Yet another work that doesn't lack excitement, heartfelt passages, endearing lyricism.

It definitely deserves a better performance with a more convincing orchestra and soloist, chiefly. The latter had some trouble dealing with it in some intense and fast passages.

Last edit: An enjoyable piece that suffers from a very subpar interpretation.

Yeah, I feel the same way about the commercial recordings of his Cello Concerto, Symphony in A, and SQs, to some extent. His music cries out for the Chandos or CPO treatment.

[kyjo]

NP:

Janáček
Violin Sonata
Isabelle Faust, Ewa Kupiec



Exceptionally fine performance of the Violin Sonata. I wish Janáček had composed more chamber music!

+1 to both points!

[kyjo]

NP:

Janáček
Violin Concerto, "The Wandering of a Little Soul"
Ivan Ženatý, violin
Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
František Jílek



Such a cool work. I have to wonder why it's not programmed more often. I suppose a lot of it has to do with it's duration --- it's only around 12 minutes or so. A quirky work and its compactness reminds of Langgaard's VC.

I recall the VC being downright weird - even by Janacek standards!

[classicalgeek]

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

I do remember at least hearing Ansermet and enjoying it. I'll have to check out these other recordings you mention!

Shostakovich - String Quartets - I've probably owned a half dozen sets of these works over the years, but now have just the two below, i.e. Borodin Quartet (of all SQ pieces, plus more) and the Pacifica Quartet (I bought the individual volumes as released) - picked out just 2-3 discs per set for an afternoon listen.  Dave

 

What do you think of the Pacifica's Shostakovich? I imprinted on the Emerson Quartet in these works (unfortunately I sold off the CDs.)

Oh yes, it's sad that this work isn't better known. I'd take it over a number of more well-known Requiems any day (I won't name which ones). It's a work full of drama, beauty, and great depth, showing a very different side of the composer best known for the 9th Symphony and Slavonic Dances. I only know Antoni Wit's recording on Naxos, which is superb. Oh, and don't miss Dvorak's Stabat Mater, either!

Agreed on Dvorak's Requiem - just a tremendous piece. As far as the 'more well-known Requiems' you reference , I'm very fond of Verdi's Requiem and Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, but I've never found Mozart's Requiem that interesting at all.

TD:
Aaron Avshalomov
*Flute Concerto
Symphony no. 1
*Nadine Asin, flute
Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Jacob Avshalomov
(on Spotify)



Tuneful, colorful music that shows a strong influence of Chinese folk music (Avshalomov spent a good portion of his life living in China.) Of course, one can't help but be reminded of Alexander Tcherepnin - but in Avshalomov, the influence is even more direct.

[kyjo]

Arrived today. A kyjo find, so far well worth hearing, a composer who manages to include Chopinian and Bartokian or Prokifievan moments in his music, sometimes in the same movement


A piano concerto and a violin concerto surrounded by short works for violin and piano or piano alone, and a (non-vocal) Stabat Mater for strings and timpani.

This Magnin CD I'm listening to fits that bill very nicely.

Pounds the table! A great disc!

[kyjo]

Rodion Shchedrin
*Cello Concerto
Seagull Suite
*Marko Ylonen, cello
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Olli Mustonen
(on Spotify)

I like some of Shchedrin's music, but that Cello Concerto left me cold...

[kyjo]

Villa-Lobos: Chôros No. 10 Rasga o Coraçao

Potent stuff. The chorus provides a great effect.

I had the immense pleasure of performing this work under Maestro Neschling a few years ago. What riotously fun stuff! The final section with the chorus is just tremendous.

[vandermolen]

Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 3 
    André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra

One of RVW's finest symphonies, I think; and a wonderfully-paced and inspired performance here by Mr. Preview.

There is no better performance IMO.

[vandermolen]

I do remember at least hearing Ansermet and enjoying it. I'll have to check out these other recordings you mention!

What do you think of the Pacifica's Shostakovich? I imprinted on the Emerson Quartet in these works (unfortunately I sold off the CDs.)

Agreed on Dvorak's Requiem - just a tremendous piece. As far as the 'more well-known Requiems' you reference , I'm very fond of Verdi's Requiem and Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, but I've never found Mozart's Requiem that interesting at all.

TD:
Aaron Avshalomov
*Flute Concerto
Symphony no. 1
*Nadine Asin, flute
Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Jacob Avshalomov
(on Spotify)



Tuneful, colorful music that shows a strong influence of Chinese folk music (Avshalomov spent a good portion of his life living in China.) Of course, one can't help but be reminded of Alexander Tcherepnin - but in Avshalomov, the influence is even more direct.

Count me as an admirer of Avshalamov's 1st Symphony as well.

[Mirror Image]

NP:

Adams (JL)
Become Desert
Seattle Symphony
Morlot

[DizzyD]

What at one time was maybe my least favorite of Mahler's symphonies, but I've really come round to it over the past couple of years:

[Karl Henning]

H/T to our VS:
https://www.youtube.com/v/r_U60lcfYbQ

[kyjo]

James Ehnes playing works composed for/premiered by him

The James Newton Howard VC is a highly enjoyable work in the "film music VC" tradition of Korngold, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Rozsa, etc. Haven't given a proper listen to the Kernis yet.

[kyjo]

NP:

Adams (JL)
Become Desert
Seattle Symphony
Morlot

Thoughts? I tried his critically acclaimed and award-winning Become Ocean and thought it pretty boring, to be quite honest. Then again, my favorite contemporary composers tend to be the ones who don't get much attention from the critical establishment.

[Linz]

Mozart Requiem Arthur Schoonderwoerd conducting the Gesualdo Consort