What are you listening 2 now?

[Traverso]

Concerning the set of CD's of monophonic recordings (1920's-1950's) by pianist Marcelle Meyer:


Many thanks for the reply! 

For those who would like a sample:

I like to add this one,it is of a really disarming beauty.

[DavidW]

Listening to this wonderful recording yet again... should I buy it?

[Mapman]

How does Schwarz do/ How did you like the Second?

I played Borodin's 2nd in high school, and our conductor liked Schwarz's recording. I listened to the 4th movement somewhat recently, and wasn't particularly impressed; it seemed to be a bit lower-energy. (My first recording, which is still one I enjoy, was Tjeknavorian.)

[Spotted Horses]

Spotted Horses is totally right, what transparency!  I really need to buy this set.

I demand to know what I was right about!

Ooops, when I first saw this post the image didn't load.

[Todd]

Top notch recordings of the Dvorak Piano Quintets.  I have a couple other recordings of the Op 5, and this is up there with Firkusny/Bridge Quartet.  When it comes to the more frequently recorded Op 81, this easily holds its own with any: Schiff/Panocha, Panenka/Panocha, Giltburg/Pavel Haas, Firkusny/Bridge, Firkusny/Juilliard, Richter/Borodin, you name it. It's a pity the prior iterations of the ensemble did not record more Dvorak. 

[Brian]

I played Borodin's 2nd in high school, and our conductor liked Schwarz's recording. I listened to the 4th movement somewhat recently, and wasn't particularly impressed; it seemed to be a bit lower-energy. (My first recording, which is still one I enjoy, was Tjeknavorian.)

(and @Karl Henning )
My first recording of the Second was also Tjeknavorian and I got it as a teenager so have a sentimental attachment to both recording and symphony. Schwarz is good, but Enrique Batiz finds a new trick to get even more excitement out of the scherzo: he has the French horns accent their repeated notes so they sound like a rhythmic accompaniment rather than simply playing buh-buh-buh forever.

Mapman, isn't the scherzo in 1/1 time? Is that confusing to play?

[Madiel]

Since there appears to be an insistence on beating this dead horse:

This isn't about pietistic US prudery. The guidelines are courtesy of the Dungeon Master who (last I checked) is no Yank. I expressed my objection to the objet d'art in exactly this way: that picture was certainly worth three words. Historically GMG'ers periodically speculate, "Gee, why do so few women participate here?" My wife, an artist and a Russian, wouldn't think much of the puerile glee in titty pics.

The problem with this is assuming that what is work safe and family friendly is the same the world over. It isn't. So with respect, quoting the guideline is not a huge amount of help because that phrasing is incredibly open to interpretation.

Public standards of decency vary greatly around the world. There are countries where public nudity is perfectly legal and you would have a hard time arguing that something is not family friendly when children could have easily seen it on the street. Conversely of course there are places where an unveiled woman is unacceptable.

If you're going to treat the Dungeon Master as a standard, I offer my services as a cultural consultant seeing as I live within walking distance. I don't think much of the discussion around pictures either, but I find it tiresome rather than offensive and I don't see the solution is to suggest that the cover of a mainstream classical release is not safe for work.

[Lisztianwagner]

Maurice Ravel
Shéhérazade - Ouverture deféerie
Shéhérazade
Trois poeme de Stephane Mallarmé

Charles Dutoit & Montreal Symphony Orchestra

Régine Crespin (soprano)
Ernest Ansermet & Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Felicity Palmer (soprano)
Simon Rattle & The Nash Ensemble

[foxandpeng]

Listening to this wonderful recording yet again... should I buy it?

If you still collect downloads or hard copy, then, yes. I agree that it is outstanding 👏

[Linz]

C.P.E. Bach Complete Woks for Solo Piano with Ana-Marija Markovina

[Karl Henning]

You may look forward to CD 3, 2 and 1, which are equally outstanding.

I doubt it not!

[Mapman]

(and @Karl Henning )
My first recording of the Second was also Tjeknavorian and I got it as a teenager so have a sentimental attachment to both recording and symphony. Schwarz is good, but Enrique Batiz finds a new trick to get even more excitement out of the scherzo: he has the French horns accent their repeated notes so they sound like a rhythmic accompaniment rather than simply playing buh-buh-buh forever.

Mapman, isn't the scherzo in 1/1 time? Is that confusing to play?

Yes, the scherzo of Borodin's 2nd is in 1/1. I didn't find it particularly confusing. (That movement is mostly quarter notes, especially in the woodwind parts. So for the most part it's just like playing 16th notes. It's not that different from the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 6th, which is a fast 3/4 counted in 1.) However, the syncopation in that movement is tricky, and was one of the most challenging parts of the symphony for our orchestra.

The choice of tempo for that scherzo was also a challenge: there is a range of otherwise reasonable tempos that are not practical. There is (at least for student horn players) a maximum speed that they can single-tongue, and a (faster) minimum speed that they can double-tongue. (We chose fast single-tonguing.)

[foxandpeng]

I'm now playng the SQs in order, so am currently listening to SQ #1 from the recording, "Visions of a November Spring", and depending on how you feel about contemporary music that doesn't emphasise tunes, I guess some of the glissando strings could appear that way. Lots of pizzicatos, lots of plaintive sliding one note while shifting rhythmically into frenzied strings... it isn't a difficult listen, but if you are looking for folk tunes and development into some sort of clear melody, you won't find it here.

Haven't heard SQ #2 'Why is this Night Different' yet, but I read that it is indefinably 'Jewish' at times, as hinted at by the title. Seems to be based on the flight from Egypt, but can't tell you my reflections at this point 😁. If his previous work is anything to go by, I'm not holding my breath for Bloch or Shostakovich. He is more dissonant and atmospheric than tuneful.

I do very much like it, however.

James MacMillan
SQ 1 'Visions of a November Spring'
Emperor String Quartet
BIS

Having now heard SQs 2 and 3, I can confirm that MacMillan doesn't change horses stylistically. Still both very worthwhile, and neither are they any more difficult, but neither are they a piece of cake. Great works, both.

Highly recommended.


James MacMillan
SQ 1 'Visions of a November Spring'
Emperor String Quartet
BIS

SQ 3
Edinburgh Quartet
Delphian

[Spotted Horses]

Listening to this wonderful recording yet again... should I buy it?

I recall being impressed by that recording, but I don't recall if I preferred it to the recordings of the same music from the BIS Schnittke series.

[Karl Henning]

Yes, the scherzo of Borodin's 2nd is in 1/1. I didn't find it particularly confusing. (That movement is mostly quarter notes, especially in the woodwind parts. So for the most part it's just like playing 16th notes. It's not that different from the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 6th, which is a fast 3/4 counted in 1.) However, the syncopation in that movement is tricky, and was one of the most challenging parts of the symphony for our orchestra.

The choice of tempo for that scherzo was also a challenge: there is a range of otherwise reasonable tempos that are not practical. There is (at least for student horn players) a maximum speed that they can single-tongue, and a (faster) minimum speed that they can double-tongue. (We chose fast single-tonguing.)

It's a peculiar time signature, to be sure, but not really difficult. 

[Bachtoven]

Brilliant playing and excellent sound.

[vers la flamme]

Felix Mendelssohn: String Quintet No.2 in B-flat major, op.87. Hausmusik London

Wow, this sounds amazing. Really on this Mendelssohn kick lately. What a brilliant composer he was.

[DavidW]

[brewski]

Really enjoying the live Minnesota Orchestra broadcast with conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto in Joaquin Turina's Danzas Fantasticas. (Prieto stepped in at the last minute, replacing David Afkham who was taken ill.)

Still to come, Debussy's La Mer.

https://www.yourclassical.org/story/2022/09/19/minnesota-orchestra-2022-23-season

-Bruce

[Karl Henning]

JSB
BWV 75 « Die Elenden sollen essen »