What are you listening 2 now?

[vandermolen]

Kalinnikov: Symphony No. 2



The level of gorgeousness this work possesses leaves me in sheer awe.



Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6

The rendition of the outer movements is particularly outstanding. An intense experience as a whole.

Both fine discs Cesar. I have the Fricsay in a DGG boxed set of his recordings.

[Florestan]

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade. Yuri Temirkanov, New York Philharmonic

This is the only recording I have of the work. It sounds very good, but I am curious to hear others.

Try Reiner/Chicago SO, Markevitch/LSO, Monteux LSO. Oldies but goldies, Reiner being the best.

[vandermolen]

Magnard: Chant funèbre, Op. 9 [Bollon]





I find this to be a very fine and quite a lyrical and atmospheric work with very fine orchestration. It is a very engaging and appealing listen. I find the counterpoint to be of particular note in the scoring.

I love the Chant Funebre - somehow I missed this release.

[vandermolen]

Arrived this morning (SH) (fortunately my wife was out  ). Warlock: Capriol Suite:

[Lisztianwagner]

Arnold Schönberg
Piano Concerto



Claudo Abbado & Berliner Philharmoniker
Pianist: Maurizio Pollini

[Operafreak]

Ries, Ferdinand: Cello Sonatas-  Guido Larisch & Robert Hill

[foxandpeng]

Talivaldis Kenins
Symphonies 2, 3, 7
Andris Poga
Latvian NSO
Ondine

Excellent conclusion to the Kenins symphony cycle. These are approachable and attractive works that sit well in a slow Saturday morning.

[Iota]

First listen to Óscar Esplá's Sinfonía Aitana.


When I ordered this used (and long OOP) CD, I actually thought that I was buying another, older recording of the work, conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. Well, what I got is this version from the mid-90s, that appears to have a very limited distribution. Since what I was after was the work itself, not any particular performance of it, I'm perfectly happy with what I've received.

The Aitana (the name derives from a mountain range in the province of Alicante, from which the composer hailed) is from the early 60s, and is subtitled "tonal music in memoriam".  That says a lot about what the composer intended, but be that as it may, the work is rather (no, very) engaging. It sounds very nostalgic in its four movements, even in the livelier second (allegro energergico) and fourth (allegretto finale scherzando). Only the last movement has a Spanish "flavour" to it, with syncopated dance rhythms, but there's nothing folkloristic about it (and according to the liner notes, Esplá uses some serial techniques in it —just as some serial composers will introduce tonal quotes or winks in their music). The orchestral writing is extremely assured and refined, and all in all this is a magnificent work that IMHO deserves wider circulation. My appreciation of this composer has risen very considerably after listening to it.

The CD is completed by (much earlier) works of the same composer, which I already know from other recordings. La Pájara pinta, a sort of Iberian Jeux d'enfants or Dolly Suite (originally intended to accompany a puppet show devised by the poet Rafael Alberti) and arguably Esplá's best known work, Canciones playeras ("Beach Songs"), also to texts by Alberti, and here sung by  Victoria de los Ángeles towards the end of her distinguished career. Both works are lovely and hugely enjoyable, but pale in comparison to the mature composer's mastery that can be heard in the Sinfonía Aitana.

The performances of the Valencia Orchestra under its then chief conductor Manuel Galduf are very convincing.

That sounded interesting, but unfortunately I couldn't track down the Sinfonía Aitana on streaming, so picked his Sonata Española instead (from the recording below) and was intrigued/charmed by the distinctive shades of harmonic language he uses. Had never heard a Spanish sounding mazurka before, but thanks to the second movement I have now, a nice surprise! Will be exploring further.

CD 2's turn tonight


The overall impression is aural waves moving back and forth in a tank.

Too much of a temptation seeing these Beauty Farm Gombert motets flaunted so brazenly trhoughout the thread, so gave in today and had a listen to 3, and like your description.

[Irons]

Arrived this morning (SH) (fortunately my wife was out  ). Warlock: Capriol Suite:

A fine piece, Jeffrey. Repeating myself, but a stat I find outrageous considering the quality of Capriol Suite: Warlock only wrote five pieces for orchestra and two of those remain unpublished. He was too busy with wine, woman and song (writing them).

[Papy Oli]

Boccherini - various symphonies (Banchini, Ensemble 415)

[Traverso]

En Doulz Chastel De Pavie


CD 3

[Harry]

The Fall of the Leaf.
English keyboard music on the Rucellai Virginal.
Giulia Nuti, (Rucellai Virginal, ca. 1590)

Anonymus: Prelude
John Dowland: Solus cum sola; The Frog; Piper's Pavan; Can she excuse; Lachrymae Pavan
John Dowland / William Byrd: Piper's Galliard
Martin Peerson: The Primrose.  The fall of the leaf
John Tomkins: John come kiss me now
William Byrd: The Bells
William Tisdall: Alman, Coranto
John Amner: O Lord, in thee is all my trust.
Thomas Campion: Shall I come.
Thomas Morley: Passamezzo Pavan
Giulio Caccini: Amarilli mia bella
James Harding / John Bull: Galliard.

Fast and furious, there is no rest for the wicked, but honestly this kind of playing will not do. Its like Verstappen in a fast car. And the accents and stress she puts on every note, no definitively not for me.

[vandermolen]

A fine piece, Jeffrey. Repeating myself, but a stat I find outrageous considering the quality of Capriol Suite: Warlock only wrote five pieces for orchestra and two of those remain unpublished. He was too busy with wine, woman and song (writing them).

Yes, I agree Lol. The Ian Partridge version of 'The Curlew', on the same CD, is in a class of its own.

[Traverso]

Vaughan Williams


Symphony No.4







In the Netherlands, the Formula 1 car race has become much more popular now that Verstappen has become world champion. The losers have now found their champion who also resides in Monaco with his earned money and therefore does not pay tax to Dutch society, what a hero.
He has even been appointed an officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau.
So there must be something wrong with me.

[Todd]

Bruno Walter in post-war New York.  Very similar, just a bit slower in parts of the outer movements, with a noticeably slower and more dramatic Andante cantabile, which also means slightly more dramatic transitions.  The improved sound enriches dynamic contrasts, and there's more oomph, so critical yet so unmeasurable.  Another great one. 

[Traverso]

Vaughan Williams

The wonderfully beautifully recorded Vaughan Williams symphonies have helped me enormously to appreciate this music more than before. Of course there are also the excellent performances by Bryden Thomson who at times give these works a pleasantly intimate character and make all the colors sparkle. I have never loved these works so much before, although that could have several causes. In any case, this set is a bull's eye for me and  thanks to the advice given by Jeffrey.

[vers la flamme]

Maurice Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé. André Cluytens, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra

[Harry]

New acquisition, first listen
Johann Jakob Walther.
Scherzi Da Violino Solo.
Illyria Consort, Bojan Cicic.

[Iota]

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2
Lorin Hollander (piano)

Prompted to listen again to this by Lorin Hollander coming up on another thread, and find I still like it very much. Some people just get the job done and it's all rather uninteresting, but when others seem to do the same it somehow rises to a whole other level of excellence/expressivity. Hollander, unfussy/unglamorous, falls firmly in the latter camp for me.

[bhodges]

The Attacca Quartet in works by Caroline Shaw, from her 2019 album Orange. Terrific, and making me look forward to her new disc later this month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yzFg2DRSRU

--Bruce