What are you listening 2 now?

[Florestan]

Pure, unadulterated, heavenly bliss.

As Emil Cioran put it (quoted from memory), "I don't want to die, it's inconceivable to me that some day I won't be able to hear Mozart anymore..."

[Linz]

Bax Overture to a Picaresque Comedy, Nympholept and Symphony No. 4 the Royal Scottish National Orchestra,  David Lloyd-Jones conducting

[vandermolen]

Bax Overture to a Picaresque Comedy, Nympholept and Symphony No. 4 the Royal Scottish National Orchestra,  David Lloyd-Jones conducting

A fine CD! I especially like the coupling of the underrated 4th Symphony with the magical 'Nympholept' (once used as background music for a TV documentary about JRR Tolkein).

[DavidW]

First I have to address the elephant in the room.  The sound quality is not that good.  There is a very audible noise floor even through speakers.  There is distortion and these popping sounds.  Basically it is like someone did a hasty digital recording of vinyl instead of a careful mastering of well preserved reel-to-reel to my ears.  I think that on speakers it is fine, it might not be on headphones.

That being said, these performances are dynamite!  They are far better than anyone else I've heard.  This is the kind of recording that would make fans of Robert Simpson that didn't like him before.  It is really that good.  It is that revelatory.  And in particular the string section is just so lush.  Obviously for fans of Simpson, you got to hear this.  You really do.  I love it despite the dodgy sound.

Edit: fixing my awful sentences, I was excitedly typing as fast as I could.

[vandermolen]

Atterberg: Symphony No.3 'West Coast Pictures':

[bhodges]

LIVE right now, from the Rheingau Music Festival, inside a basilica, Kloster Eberbach. The acoustic sounds like it's going to have a bit of reverb (for better or worse), but the sense of occasion and a packed house may be worth the trade-off:

Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Alain Altinoglu, conductor

Dvořák - The Golden Spinning Wheel
Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly2-DkVKoqk

--Bruce

[Lisztianwagner]

Witold Lutoslawski
String Quartet

https://www.youtube.com/v/483BhgffOO0

[Traverso]

Rossini

[bhodges]

LIVE right now, from the Rheingau Music Festival, inside a basilica, Kloster Eberbach. The acoustic sounds like it's going to have a bit of reverb (for better or worse), but the sense of occasion and a packed house may be worth the trade-off:

Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Alain Altinoglu, conductor

Dvořák - The Golden Spinning Wheel
Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly2-DkVKoqk

--Bruce

Forget everything I wrote about the reverb -- the engineers are doing a terrific job of negotiating that, and the orchestra sounds magnificent. They really are on fire these days. (PS, I have never heard the Mendelssohn before, and it's lovely.)

--Bruce

[SonicMan46]

Rontgen & Sibelius - some new arrivals the last few days (Rontgen CDs on sale at JPC, half price) - Dave

   

[VonStupp]

Robert Simpson
Symphony 1

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Adrian Boult

There are a few symphonists I gave up on after hearing the first symphony or so, many now with regret, such as Albéric Magnard, whose later symphonies reeled me back in with immense pleasure.

So it is with Robert Simpson now. I think I engaged with Simpson way too early to appreciate this music, before hearing many of the warhorses, both modern and historical.

I really enjoyed the 1st Symphony this time around with Boult, having owned the Handley on Hyperion in the 90's and promptly selling it off.

I am sure I will trawl through the Simpson thread eventually, but are there any suggestions on where to navigate after the 1st?

I seem to remember hearing Simpson's 8th Symphony as well, and thinking it was a noisy, strife-laden affair. I found it most disagreeable, but time usually mends most wounds.

VS

[Linz]

Bruckner Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, Georg Solti is the Conductor

[Karl Henning]

Messian
Vingt Regards
Yvonne Loriod

[foxandpeng]

Robert Simpson
Symphony 1

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Adrian Boult

There are a few symphonists I gave up on after hearing the first symphony or so, many now with regret, such as Albéric Magnard, whose later symphonies reeled me back in with immense pleasure.

So it is with Robert Simpson now. I think I engaged with Simpson way too early to appreciate this music, before hearing many of the warhorses, both modern and historical.

I really enjoyed the 1st Symphony this time around with Boult, having owned the Handley on Hyperion in the 90's and promptly selling it off.

I am sure I will trawl through the Simpson thread eventually, but are there any suggestions on where to navigate after the 1st?

I seem to remember hearing Simpson's 8th Symphony as well, and thinking it was a noisy, strife-laden affair. I found it most disagreeable, but time usually mends most wounds.

VS

Great to see that you had a better experience with #1 this time. For me, the big and bold #8 and #9 are immense entry points, or #4 🙂.

Perhaps #9?

[DavidW]

Great to see that you had a better experience with #1 this time. For me, the big and bold #8 and #9 are immense entry points, or #4 🙂.

Perhaps #9?

I agree, was going to say the same thing 4, 8 and 9.

[amw]

So I've bought a few Mozart quartet cycles, and various other discs of Mozart's quartets, and then, when I switch to primarily streaming, I finally try the Armida Quartet in Mozart.  And here's the ongoing cycle for me, based on first listen.

Just realised the Armida Quartett are the ones who deliver the better of the two recordings of the death of the star-knower, on this album



so I guess I should at some point check out the rest of their discography....

[Iota]

Having finished the above last week, I can fully relate to Gurn's warm enthusiasm for it, it's a marvellous performance in almost every way (my only quibble being a slightly over turbocharged overture, and it's a very small quibble).
For comparison purposes I've started listening to the Solti recording on Decca with Te Kanawa, von Stade, Popp, Thomas Allen et al, which I already own and enjoy, and so far I must admit in terms of personal preference, the Jacobs is winning out comfortably so far.

[Linz]

Beethoven's Opera Fedelio with Otto Klemperer with The Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus as well Christa Ludwig, jon Vickers, Gottlob Frick and Walter Berry

[prémont]

I'd love to know what Kooiman and Weinberger say about cantabile in Bach performance. (I don't want to give you an imposition though!)

Thanks. My problem may be the translation from German to English.

[VonStupp]

Great to see that you had a better experience with #1 this time. For me, the big and bold #8 and #9 are immense entry points, or #4 🙂.

Perhaps #9?

I agree, was going to say the same thing 4, 8 and 9.

The Boult performance of the 1st is far better than the Hyperion one. And I suspect that's a big problem with the symphonies in general...

I've always responded to 2, 4 and 7 myself.

Thanks for the comments all; I will take a look around at what is available, hopefully cheaply.

VS