What are you listening 2 now?

[Karl Henning]

The Second Symphony (Lobgesang)

Thoughts?

TD:

[JBS]

Thoughts?

The work itself belongs more in a set of choral works than in a set of symphonies, no matter what name the composer gave it.
As a choral work it's a good one, better in fact than Elijah or Paulus.

Manacorda does a good job with it. The rest of the set is decent, but I'm not ready to say it's among the best. I do plan on revisiting the Nezet-Seguin set before too long.

[Symphonic Addict]

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9
Martinu: String Quartet No. 6

[Mapman]

Stanford: Symphony #4
Handley: Ulster

A good romantic symphony. The first movement seemed the strongest to me. It has a good first subject that allows for some interesting development (such as canonic entries of the first few notes). It's a well-constructed movement very much in the style of Brahms with a satisfying (and concise) ending. Two slow movements in the middle of the symphony may not have been the best idea. A scherzo would have been nice. The 3rd movement is the more interesting of the inner movements. The opening resembles a fugue, and there is a beautiful theme in the middle. The opening theme of the finale sounds like a Renaissance dance.

It's not as good as Stanford's 6th, but I think this is still worth hearing for people who like Stanford's music.

[Symphonic Addict]

Two more string quartets today:

Leifs: String Quartet No. 2 'Vita et mors'
Vasks: String Quartet No. 2 'Summer Tunes'

[Karl Henning]

The work itself belongs more in a set of choral works than in a set of symphonies, no matter what name the composer gave it. 
As a choral work it's a good one, better in fact than Elijah or Paulus.

Warmly agreed.

[Operafreak]

Under the Arching Heavens

A Requiem by Alex Freeman

Alex Freeman

[Que]

Morning listening on Spotify:



https://www.spektral-records.de/alben/musica-divina/

[vandermolen]

New arrival. Somehow I missed this when it was first released. It features two of my favourite HB symphonies:

[Irons]

Stirring stuff! Opens like 'The Isle of the Dead' after which Lyantoshynsky lets go. Crude recording didn't detract but added authenticity, I thought.

[Tsaraslondon]

I'm not sure Karajan was ever a great Berlioz conductor. It seems to me that, in his attempts to bring Berlioz more in line with other symphonists of the early nineteenth century, he irons out some of Berlioz's weirdness and originality. This, for me, is the least successful disc in this set.
 

[Mandryka]

Cheers, wasn't aware of that. I now see there's a commercial transfer.
I now see there's a commercial transfer of five sonatas on Spotify, some in a good APR transfer (called "Tobias Matthay and his Pupils.)

[Madiel]

The work itself belongs more in a set of choral works than in a set of symphonies, no matter what name the composer gave it.

Mendelssohn did not name the so-called Symphony No.2 as a symphony. He called it a symphony-cantata, but it seems his emphasis was on the cantata. He most definitely did not call it "Symphony No.2".

The modern Mendelssohn catalogue lists it in the large sacred choral works (along with the oratorios for example).

[vandermolen]

Back to the Decca Boult box with my favourite recording of (IMO) the greatest Vaughan Williams Symphony (No.6 in E minor) which takes me back to my school days when I first encountered this extraordinary work on (a Decca Eclipse) LP (see below). Furthermore I think that this is the best CD transfer. The Belart CD was disappointing and the recent Pristine transfer is too shrill for my liking. This one is just right (sounds like the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story  ). The Decca British Composers Box set was re-mastered and I'd imagine that it is similar to the one in the Boult set but I haven't heard it for a while. I can't listen to this recording without travelling back in time to my first encounter with it 50 years ago - it's an oddly unsettling experience, as reflected in the music itself, with its philosophical speculations (IMO) on life, death and war (especially in the finale):

[pjme]

last Friday on Dutch Radio 4

Radio Filharmonisch Orkest
Groot Omroepkoor
James Gaffigan, dirigent
Benjamin Goodson, koordirigent
Elena Tsallagova, sopraan
Benjamin Bruns, tenor


1. MOZART - Kyrie KV 341
2. SCHUBERT - Symfonie nr. 8 'Unvollendete'
3. VAN GILSE - Cantate Der Kreis des Lebens

I'll try to find out if the concert can be listened to again. Jan van Gilse's opulent, extatic cantata on texts by Rilke (ca 1926-1929) should appeal to those who like Braunfels' Te deum, Schreker, Strauss, even Hindemith.

4 movements:
Das ist die Sehnsucht: Wohnen im Gewoge Herr, es ist Zeit.
Unsere Träume sind Marmorhermen,
Der Sommer war sehr groß.
Der Tod ist groß.
https://webshop.donemus.nl/action/front/sheetmusic/12691/Der+Kreis+des+Lebens
 

[vandermolen]

Stirring stuff! Opens like 'The Isle of the Dead' after which Lyantoshynsky lets go. Crude recording didn't detract but added authenticity, I thought.

I like the Isle of the Dead comparison Lol. Who is the conductor (Kuchar perhaps)?
I remember hearing it on the radio in a shop when I was on holiday in Suffolk a few years ago. I hung around in the shop in order to hear what the music was.

[Lisztianwagner]

First listen to this opera:

Luigi Dallapiccola
Il Prigioniero

[Operafreak]

Ma Cantablie: Selected Scarlatti Harpsichord Sonatas- Tatjana Vorobjova (harpsichord)

[Harry]

Finally some listening time.

A Secret Labyrinth
A Celebration of Music from the Middle Ages to Renaissance.
CD I from XV.
Music from 13th Century Spain, of the Codex Las Huelgas (Early 14th Century)
Huelgas Ensemble, Paul van Nevel.

[vandermolen]

A nice selection of Kalevala-themed works: