What are you listening 2 now?

[Mirror Image]

Good day, John!

I think that in both SQs, Enesco does something quite extraordinary with a thematic development that I can only describe as elusive, and the autumnal feel of both works is very appealing to me. Quite honestly, at no point do I loose interest in what's happening, and my complaints regarding the exhaustion of the thematic material in some of the works by this composer (who's also, as you know, a favourite of mine) don't apply--well, perthaps a bit in the finale of SQ No. 1  --.

He also does something quite extraordinary at the ending of some of the movements, where there's no longer any thematic material as such, but snippets of phrases that turn into "floating notes" that then fade away, and somehow dovetail perfectly into the start of the next movement. This happens in SQ No. 1 between movements 3--allegretto scherzando--and 4--allegretto moderato--, and (most particularly) in SQ No. 2, again between movements 3--allegretto non troppo mosso--and 4--con moto molto moderato--. Although AFAIK, these transitions are not marked attacca in the scores, the music really cries out to be played in such a way. I find the effect simply magical.

I urge you to give them another try, as I think these works really merit the effort.

I will definitely give these SQs another listen. Thanks for the feedback, Rafael.

[SonicMan46]

SECOND RERUN.

Jan Antonin Losy.
Note d'Oro.
Jakob Lindberg, Lute.

One of the best Lute CD'S I bought in a long time.

Hi Harry - own one of the earlier Lindberg CDs w/ that particular lute (top left below) - apparently he has made a number of recordings, so I went to Spotify and put together the 4-disc playlist shown below - nearly 5 1/2 hrs of lute, quite nice for a relaxing afternoon and over dinner!  Dave

[Harry]

SECOND RERUN

Johann Kuhnau.
Complete Sacred Works. Volume IV.
Opella Musica-Camerata Lipsiensis, Gregor Meyer.

The music is fascinating to my ears, and the performances is first rate. Kuhnau is the Sacred music to have and to treasure.

[Harry]

Hi Harry - own one of the earlier Lindberg CDs w/ that particular lute (top left below) - apparently he has made a number of recordings, so I went to Spotify and put together the 4-disc playlist shown below - nearly 5 1/2 hrs of lute, quite nice for a relaxing afternoon and over dinner!  Dave

Really interesting Dave, I do not have Spotify, but I endeavour to get the missing CD'S in my collection.

[Mirror Image]

Possible concert program title: Facing Britain: A Pacifist's Response

Tippett
A Child of Our Time
Willard White (bass), Cynthia Haymon (soprano), Damon Evans (tenor), Cynthia Clarey (alto)
London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra
Richard Hickox



-Intermission-

Britten
War Requiem, Op. 66
Philip Langridge (tenor), Heather Harper (soprano), John Shirley-Quirk (bass-baritone), Roderick Elms (organ)
St. Paul's Cathedral Choristers, London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra
Richard Hickox



Encore:

Bridge
Oration
Steven Isserlis (cello)
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Hugh Wolff

Finishing up this program from last night, although I'm going to substitute the Bridge work for Walton's Suite from 'Henry V'.

[Papy Oli]

Beethoven - Violin concerto (Bernstein / NYP / Stern)
Bach - Concerto for 2 Violins (Bernstein / NYP / Stern & Menuhin / Bernstein - harpsichord)

From the Bernstein Concerto Edition

[André]

[Karl Henning]

Gallagher
Symphony in One Movement: Threnody
LSO
Falletta
Naxos 8.559652

Jack's Second Symphony made so magnificent an impression, I had forgotten how excellent the Threnody is . . .

[vers la flamme]

I have this disc, it's really good! I already knew Zelenka was a great composer, and of course Bach is Bach, but the Kuhnau surprised me with how much I enjoyed it.

[Florestan]

Happy birthday, Wolferl!

"...what countless impressions of a brighter, better life hast thou stamped upon our souls!"

[SonicMan46]

Really interesting Dave, I do not have Spotify, but I endeavour to get the missing CD'S in my collection.

In the last few years, I've not purchased many CDs (mainly culling replacements), but have used streaming/mirroring services on my den's Roku & Apple TV devices and a Sonos 'smart speaker' in the bedroom - for those who may be interested (and assume many are already using these options and others), the Sonos app on my iPad over my Wi-Fi network, allows me to select music on Spotify (so a LOT that I do not own), my Amazon purchases, and also using Google Play (shown below) - have uploaded over 200 ripped CDs and made nearly 60 playlists - all of these I can also play over my den stereo. Just has made me thing twice about buying CDs vs. streaming from these various sources?  Dave

[SonicMan46]

Debussy & Ravel - String Quartets - my current three recordings shown below - all quite good, although the Emerson SQ may be my least favorite vs. the newer recordings - of course, this is a very crowded field and I'm sure others have their own top choices - reviews attached for those interested, especially in the latter two groups.  Dave

   

[San Antone]

Thomas Adès / Calder Quartet
The Twenty-Fifth Hour. The Chamber Music of Thomas Adès

I've liked everything I've heard from Adès, but for some reason I never include him among my favorite composers.  I'm not sure why, it could be that I sense a superficial quality in the music.  So, today I'm going to listen more attentively and try to come up with a personal appraisal of him once and for all.

[Traverso]

Happy birthday, Wolferl!

"...what countless impressions of a brighter, better life hast thou stamped upon our souls!"

You have a PM 

[ritter]

Another arrival today:

[asin]B00004GLJM[/asin]
First listen ever for me to Auric's mélodies. He's a composer whose orchestral music I appreciate, and here he sets some distinguished 20th century French poets (Radiguet, Aragon, Supervielle, Éluard, Max Jacob...). Unfortunately, the mezzo-soprano's renditions here are not much to my liking (the tenor is better, but unsubtle), and this does not help the songs themselves, which are for the most part examples of the variant of the music of les six I'm less attracted to. The (IMO pernicious) influence of Cocteau's pamphlet Le coq et l'arlequin, where French esprit is reduced into a sort of tongue-in-cheek, music hall style, is very apparent, and this is ephemeral music that tires rather quickly. The later, mellower approach of les six (and of Auric in particular) shines through only every now and then. Perhaps it's simply that I'm not in the mood for this kind of thing at the time, but I'm not liking this much. 

[Roasted Swan]

Haitink's excellent Concertgebouw Debussy recordings gathered together with the addition of Van Beinum's Berceuse heroïque.

Overall I prefer these performances to the CBS Boulez ones I was listening to the other day.

+1 for these performances - didn't the Jeux disc originally win a Gramophone Award?  Apart from the musical qualities here - the engineering across the whole set is first rate.  Phillips were never as "glamorous" as say Decca or DG in hi-fi terms but when you listen to these discs (and many others from this period too) you realise they were every bit the equal in the technical department as those other big names.....

[Florestan]

You have a PM 

So do you!   

TD

[Traverso]

Shostakovich

This afternoon two boxes arrived,this one and the Ciccolini 1950-1991

Symphony 1 & 6

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

[Mirror Image]

Thomas Adès / Calder Quartet
The Twenty-Fifth Hour. The Chamber Music of Thomas Adès

I've liked everything I've heard from Adès, but for some reason I never include him among my favorite composers.  I'm not sure why, it could be that I sense a superficial quality in the music.  So, today I'm going to listen more attentively and try to come up with a personal appraisal of him once and for all.

Please do. He's a composer that has eluded me for far too long. There was one point I liked him, but then -poof- the magic I heard was gone.

[Mirror Image]

Walton
Belshazzar's Feast
Gwynne Howell (baritone)
Philharmonia, Bach Choir
Sir David Willcocks