What are you listening 2 now?

[Harry]

York Bowen.

Violin Concerto, in E minor.
Piano Concerto, in E flat minor.
Lorraine McAslan, Violin.
Michael Dussek, Piano.
BBC Concert Orchestra, Vernon Handley.
Recorded in December 2005, at the Colosseum town Hall, Watford, Hertfordshire.
TT= 65:00.

Yes the Violin concerto is a bit laboured and to some too long, and stretched melodically to its limits, but despite, this it is a fine violin concerto, with searing melodies, romantically and endearing music that makes the world a little brighter. As almost always, Lorraine McAslan is a fabulous and able violinist. She adds a little extra to whatever she plays.
I am not a great Piano concerto fan, but I make an exception for Bowen's piano concerto, a work brimful with youthful enthusiasm, from a almost mature composer.
Vernon Handley knows how to make this all work! Good sound too.

[Lisztianwagner]

Anton Bruckner
Symphony No.3

Hans Rosbaud & Südwestfunk-Orchester Baden-Baden

[Harry]

Arnold Bax.
Orchestral works.
London Pageant.
Concertante for 3 wind instruments and Orchestra.
Suite from "Tamara".
Cathaleen-ni-Hoolihan.
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins.
Recorded in 2002, Studio 7, New Broadcasting House, Manchester.
TT= 75:00.

It was one of the discs I missed when it was released, but happily Qobuz had it in its collection. and what a marvelous recording it is. Martin Brabbins is a conductor high on my list, and he delivers in great style the works by Bax. Starting with this ever glorious piece, so very English, "London Pageant" the tone is set for 75 minutes of ultimate listening pleasure.
State of the Art sound, as in the olden days of Chandos.

[Spotted Horses]

One more item from the Naxos sale at Chandos.net. Rubbra Violin Concerto.



This one caught my eye because it features Krysia Osostowicz, who is featured on Hyperion in very fine recordings of Brahms chamber music.

[Ooops, this should have been in the purchase thread, I haven't listened to it yet. ]

[foxandpeng]

Arnold Bax.
Orchestral works.
London Pageant.
Concertante for 3 wind instruments and Orchestra.
Suite from "Tamara".
Cathaleen-ni-Hoolihan.
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins.
Recorded in 2002, Studio 7, New Broadcasting House, Manchester.
TT= 75:00.

It was one of the discs I missed when it was released, but happily Qobuz had it in its collection. and what a marvelous recording it is. Martin Brabbins is a conductor high on my list, and he delivers in great style the works by Bax. Starting with this ever glorious piece, so very English, "London Pageant" the tone is set for 75 minutes of ultimate listening pleasure.
State of the Art sound, as in the olden days of Chandos.

This release is outstanding. All thumbs up.

[Traverso]

Busoni

CD 2

Good to hear these works again, now on with the second CD

Racconti Fantastici Op. 12
Variationen Und Fuge In Freier Form Über Fr. Chopins C-Moll-Präludium (Op. 28 Nr. 20), Op. 22
Macchiette Medioevali Op. 33
Stücke Für Pianoforte Op. 33b

[foxandpeng]

Alexander Scriabin
Symphony 1
Valery Gergiev
LSO

Scriabin is another unknown to me. He fell into the category of composers that I thought might be a bit too hard for me. Not sure why, having heard none of his music at the time.

Symphony 1 feels like a nice place to start 🙂

Edit: Hm. Choral stuff in the final movement. Hm. What's that about? It was all going so well...

[Harry]

Eric Coates.
Orchestral Works.
Volume I.

The Merry Makers.
The Jester At The Wedding-Suite.
Dancing Nights.
Ballade op. 2.
2 Symphonic Rhapsodies.
By the Sleepy Lagoon.
London.
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, John Wilson.

Sound engineer Stephen Rinker.
Recording venue MediaCityUK, Salford, Manchester; 9 and 10 January 2019
TT= 70:39.

I hurled so much praise around me, with what I have been listening today, that I am almost embarrassed to put even more coal on the fire with the CD I am now playing, but I am going to do it anyway.
Always have been a admirer of Coates music, or so you will by the British Light Music department, of which he was a leading figure. A tunesmith he was, or better even a wizard in melodies galore. It is as if he was shaking them out of his jacket sleeves as if they were born there John Wilson makes it a feast to listen, and Chandos signed for the pristine recording. As far as I can see he recorded only two volumes for this label, is that true?

[Papy Oli]

Concluding my traversal of the Bach/Isoir set and with that, actually my first traversal of JSB's organ works.

It took time for me to get to used to the organ world in general, by listening to small chunks along the way but what a splendid maiden journey it's been

Foccroulle next 

[Traverso]

Bach

[foxandpeng]

Alexander Scriabin
Symphony 1
Valery Gergiev
LSO

Scriabin is another unknown to me. He fell into the category of composers that I thought might be a bit too hard for me. Not sure why, having heard none of his music at the time.

Symphony 1 feels like a nice place to start 🙂

Edit: Hm. Choral stuff in the final movement. Hm. What's that about? It was all going so well...

Scriabin
Symphony 2

[brewski]

İlhan Mimaroğlu: Agony (1965, for magnetic tape). As a teenager, I found stumbled across this LP and found it fascinating, but until now, hadn't heard it in maybe 40 years. Like his other works, this is a great glimpse into the pre-digital era of electronic music. The rest of the album—with Cathy Berberian in Berio's Visage, and Cage's Fontana Mix—is well worth hearing, too.

-Bruce

[Roasted Swan]

A first listen ever to the music of Zygmunt Stojowski and I have to say I'm impressed.  Not breaking any conventions or storming any musical battlements but this is well written, appealing late Romantic music (1898 Symphony) extremely well-played by Antoni Wit and the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz on Capriccio. 

[img=350x350]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81p5wSDXXRL._AC_SL1450_.jpg[/img]

I enjoyed this so much I followed it up with the highly melodrammatic "Prayer for Poland" from this disc;

[img=350x350]https://i.discogs.com/HngvR7EVBMTaY1_9UiTh6byXtvBHfCiXnhKfAErxPTE/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:529/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTk1OTcw/MzYtMTYyNDA5NTgw/MC04Mzg5LmpwZWc.jpeg[/img]

[Spotted Horses]

I've listened to the Brahms Second String Quartet by the Amadeus Quartet.



I'm repeating myself, but remarkably intense work, performed with elegant expressiveness. Makes me wonder what the Amadeus Quartet's recording of the same music from the 1950's is like.

[Harry]

A first listen ever to the music of Zygmunt Stojowski and I have to say I'm impressed.  Not breaking any conventions or storming any musical battlements but this is well written, appealing late Romantic music (1898 Symphony) extremely well-played by Antoni Wit and the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz on Capriccio. 

I like this Symphony very much.

[Karl Henning]

I have little Haydn in my collection but I really enjoyed that disc.

(* pounds the table *)

[Karl Henning]

I've listened to the Brahms Second String Quartet by the Amadeus Quartet.



I'm repeating myself, but remarkably intense work, performed with elegant expressiveness. Makes me wonder what the Amadeus Quartet's recording of the same music from the 1950's is like.

I'll join you here in a bit. After:

First-Listen Fridays!

Myaskovsky
Symphony № 22 in b minor, Op. 54 (1941)

[Roasted Swan]

Eric Coates.
Orchestral Works.
Volume I.

The Merry Makers.
The Jester At The Wedding-Suite.
Dancing Nights.
Ballade op. 2.
2 Symphonic Rhapsodies.
By the Sleepy Lagoon.
London.
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, John Wilson.

Sound engineer Stephen Rinker.
Recording venue MediaCityUK, Salford, Manchester; 9 and 10 January 2019
TT= 70:39.

I hurled so much praise around me, with what I have been listening today, that I am almost embarrassed to put even more coal on the fire with the CD I am now playing, but I am going to do it anyway.
Always have been a admirer of Coates music, or so you will by the British Light Music department, of which he was a leading figure. A tunesmith he was, or better even a wizard in melodies galore. It is as if he was shaking them out of his jacket sleeves as if they were born there John Wilson makes it a feast to listen, and Chandos signed for the pristine recording. As far as I can see he recorded only two volumes for this label, is that true?

Yes that is right.  Of course it was with Coates that Wilson first made his name (funded in part I think on ASV by Coates' son Austin).  I think the Coates style chimes with Wilson's brisk, rhythmically tight conducting style too.  My guess is that now he has moved onto "greater things" with his Chandos/Sinfonia of London recordings he won't be returning to Coates any time soon.  But I agree that these discs are very good indeed so I'd be happy to be proved wrong!

[Brian]

Disc 3: the original, smaller-ensemble versions of El Amor Brujo and El Corregidor y La Molinera (later to be titled El Sombrero de Tres Picos), performed by an English ensemble named Aquarius under Nicholas Cleobury.

The differences in the latter are more significant than in the former, as you'd expect from the name change; big chunks of the most famous stuff are missing.

[Traverso]

Bruckner

Symphony No.1
Berliner Philharmoniker

I prefer this set with Jochum. The EMI recording sounds more impressive and that works to its disadvantage for me. The DG recording is more spacious and has a soothing calmness in comparison, while with the EMI recording I have the feeling that I am walking in shoes that are too small.
They once asked Jansons wich composer was the greatest in his opinion.....Mahler or Bruckner
His reply after a pause...Bruckner.
Looking at his face it was clear that it was an modest answer from the heart.
I like this first Symphony very much.