What are you listening 2 now?

[San Antone]

Haydn: String Quartets Op. 42, 77 & Seven Last Words
The London Haydn Quartet

[Que]

Morning listening - one of three recordings by Marco Longhini with "parody masses" by Palestrina:



The masses on this volume are based on madrigals by Cipriano de Rore, and are sung OVPP.
It doesn't get any better than this...

[Harry]

Music in Europe at the time of the Renaissance.
CD V.
Flanders & Netherlands: Secular Vocal and Instrumental Works.
Spain: Secular Vocal and Instrumental Works.

A mix of ensembles and composers, too much to write them all down. It goes from Agricola to Sweelinck in the Flanders Netherlands territories, and from Encina to Arauxo in the Spanish territories. One could have some doubts about the counter tenor in Capilla Flamenca, who is a bit too hooty, for instance in, Salve quae Roseo" a fine composition by Tielman Susato, but also in most other vocal compositions. The fact that he is permanent on the foreground spoils the fun for me, so I tend to skip the ugly vocals, and get to the performances I really like. The instrumental contributions are always excellent. 

[Que]

Exploring recordings by the Early Music ensemble La Morra on Spotify:



Songs and instrumental Renaissance music from the manuscript "Cancionero Musical de Palacio". Impeccable, vibrant performances. Drawback: though it is wonderfully done, I'd preffered (way) less instrumental music and more songs!

[SimonNZ]

[Harry]

Heinrich Schütz.
Kleine Geistliche Concerte, 1636.
Volume I & II.
SWV 282-305.
2 CD'S, TT= 74:00.
Cappella Augustana, Matteo Messori, Spinettone, Organ and Direction.

As I am getting further into the recordings by Matteo Messori, it gets clear that he delivered a pristine work of art, in which he choose the soloists with great care, as well as the instrumentalists, and got an ensemble together which consists of performers mostly unknown, but are in quality as good as any that I do know. Does it get any better as this? I don't think so. This is Schütz as it should be in my opinion. The "Kleine Geistliche Konzerte" are done in great taste. Great music, great performances, and well recorded. My two cents anyway!

[Que]

[Florestan]

Two fine recordings with beautiful and moving music in both genres. Highly recommended to anyone, particularly to fans of Mendelssohn and Schumann.

For the Bruch, hat tip to @DavidW (The Lieder with violin obbligato are truly something else.)

[Papy Oli]

Good morning all,

Segovia - DG Collection Vol.1

[Que]

A reissue on Arion (now defunct) of a Pierre Vérany (idem) recording in - upon relistening - far from satisfying sound: the harpsichord sounds thin, the violin cavernous. Still, the ear adjusts... But I wouldn't recommend it: the music is charmingly virtuosic but doesn't go very deep and needs elevation by performers & recording.

[Daverz]

Quite pleasant German Romantic music, well constructed and orchestrated and does not overstay its welcome, but not particularly memorable. 

[Harry]

Johann Sebastian Bach.
Complete Organ Works.
Volume VIII.
CD I; BWV, 549/585/653b/551/561/754-757/762/763/765/1080, 1-7.
CD II; BWV, 1080, 8-13./943/770. Fuga a 3 Soggeti/Canon alla Ottava/Canon all Decima/ alla Duodecima/per Augmentationem.
Bram Beekman, Organs. TT= 151 minutes.
Instruments.
CD I-Rudolph Garrels organ, 1730-32. Grote Kerk Maassluis. No info about Pitch and Temperament.
CD II-Rudolph Garrels Organ, 1734-1739. Oud-Katholieke Kerk s'Gravenhage. No info about Pitch and Temperament.

Both Organs although heavily compromised over the years by stupid renovations and changes, they somehow managed to get the instruments back to a decent sound. Maassluis is an example, considering that the instrument could not be brought back to the 1732 condition. Its good in all respects, decently tuned and an (Equal) temperament?  's Gravenhagen's instrument could be brought back to its original state, which is a miracle considering the immense slaughter of this instrument in bits and bobs, brought back together and built to a organ that resembled the Garrels from 1734. Also perfectly tuned and having a fitting (Equal) temperament?  An educated guess as to the Pitch  would probably be around 440 Hz. I could not find anything in the booklet or on any of the sites in the Netherlands. Great irritation with me, of omitting this while the other booklets in this series are forthcoming.
Beekman excels himself, great performances and sound.

[Florestan]

Rossini: La cambiale di matrimonio

Tobia Mill, an English merchant – Paolo Bordogna | BARITONE
Fanny, his daughter – Désirée Rancatore | SOPRANO
Edward Milfort, Fanny's lover – Saimir Pirgu | TENOR
Slook, a Canadian merchant – Fabio Maria Capitanucci | BARITONE
Norton, Mill's clerk – Enrico Maria Marabelli | BARITONE
Clarina, Fanny's chambermaid – Maria Gortsevskaya | MEZZO-SOPRANO

Orchestra Haydn Di Bolzano E Trento
Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli | CONDUCTOR

Luigi Squarzina | DIRECTOR
Giovanni Agostinucci | SETS AND COSTUMES
Tiziano Mancini | VIDEO DIRECTOR

Another corker of a production, this time from Pesaro in 2006. Beautiful costumes, make-up and stage set, also free from Regietheater abominations. Excellent singing and acting from all. Orchestra in very good form, the ocntinuo playing quite imaginative (appropriate use of Ein Maedchen oder Weibchen and Non piu andrai) and decidedly non-intrusive. An hour and a half of pure, unadulterated and unpretentious joy. Highly recommended.

[San Antone]

Morning listening - one of three recordings by Marco Longhini with "parody masses" by Palestrina:

The masses on this volume are based on madrigals by Cipriano de Rore, and are sung OVPP.

It doesn't get any better than this...

I agree, Longhini's Palestrina (and Gesualdo as well) are among my favorites.

[Que]

[Todd]

Disc eight, more 30s era playing.  And more of the botched, ringing transfers with some of the pieces.  First is a nice and slight Flute Sonatina by Gieseking himself, followed by a couple flute miniatures by Roussel, with Gustav Scheck on flute.  Then come two Lyric Pieces where Gieseking outdoes his later self.  Same probably with the Grieg Concerto, with Hand Rosbaud conducting.  A very fine Waldstein and 33/1 Bagatelle wraps things up.  30s Gieseking is The Bomb.

[Traverso]

Schütz

Symphoniae Sacrae II  part XIII-XXII

I can only add that this music deserves more attention. It is surprising to recognize in "Herr,nun Lässest du deinen Diener im Friede fahren" ( CD 3) a melody that is also present in "Schwanengesang", here you can clearly follow the development of Schütz with his own personal style that starting to take shape.
A must for every baroque lover.

[brewski]

Bethan Morgan-Williams: Voices Go With You (world premiere) - Psappha Ensemble. Just posted a week ago, and a bittersweet listen, since today the group announced it would cease operations later this year. For anyone interested, they have over 300 videos on their YouTube channel.

-Bruce

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Chopin Late Piano Works - Yuya Tsuda.

[Spotted Horses]

Excellent - I love the other movements as well - a true epic.

I managed to listen to the second and third movements over a few days. I found the second movement equally enthralling, although the finale didn't resonate with me to the same extent. A second listen to the music is in order.

In the mean time, it occurred to me that Bax' chamber music perhaps appeals to me more than his orchestral music, and I placed an order for recordings of his string quartets by the Maggini quartet on Naxos.