What are you listening 2 now?

[kyjo]

Schuman: Symphony No. 6
Seattle SO/Schwarz

Fricker: Symphony No. 4
BBC PO/Downes

Arnold: Symphony No. 7
NSO Ireland/Penny

Wow, you were certainly in the mood for some dark, gritty stuff! (Well, I actually haven't heard the Fricker, but I'm assuming it's hardly sunny and tuneful.). The Arnold is just a tremendously gripping symphony and the Schuman has some really striking moments.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

most intriguing:

I can imagine that you like this music. Sounds like Debussy to me. I think Wynton Marsalis and LJO played Etenraku, but can't find a video. The below is a traditional version, but I prefer the Stokowski gig.

[SonicMan46]

Reicha, Anton (1770-1836) - Windy Music & Cello Quintets on the recordings below; own about 20 Reicha CDs (a dozen discs of the Wind Quintets w/ the Westwood Wind Quintet).  Dave

 

 

[Lisztianwagner]

Leoš Janáček
Sinfonietta

Claudio Abbado & Berliner Philharmoniker

[Karl Henning]

Listened to Schnittke Symphony No 8, Lu Jia, BIS



I found this easier to absorb than the 6th and 7th symphonies. Will have to revisit soon.

It's been a while since I have heard the Eighth, too. My course is clear.

[Karl Henning]

Arthur Bliss 'Melee Fantasque' - a fine work in an excellent performance:

Curiosity piqued, so:

[Karl Henning]

Curiosity piqued, so:

Very nice!

[vers la flamme]

All this Schnittke listening is reminding me I should get back into him, so something of his will probably be next; for now it's:



Richard Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, George Szell, RSO Berlin

Sounds great; Schwarzkopf's voice is silky smooth here, compared to certain other recordings of hers in which her voice, if my vague memories are correct, can be a little harsh/sharp.

[Linz]

Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Kurt Sanderling

[vers la flamme]

Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Kurt Sanderling

I don't really buy conductor-focused boxes (I have twice, ended up selling both of them) but this looks great, and affordable. I've been wanting to hear more of Sanderling's work.

Now:



Ludwig van Beethoven: Choral Fantasy in C minor, op.80. Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Arnold Schoenberg Chor

I don't know this work very well at all; I think I've only heard it once. Very odd piece, no? But I am enjoying it at this time.

[Bachtoven]

[Lisztianwagner]

Which one, Schönberg's or Debussy's Pelléas?

[T. D.]

Which one, Schönberg's or Debussy's Pelléas?

I'm too lazy to look it up, but given those French diacritical marks (accents) Debussy is overwhelmingly likely...

[Added] OMG, it's both! Although the Debussy is a symphonic suite arranged by Nott, rather than the opera.

Pelléas & Mélisande is a recording by Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) conducted by Jonathan Nott.  The album presents the two most ambitious musical responses to Maurice Maeterlinck's 1893 epoch-making play Pelléas et Mélisande.

Conductor Jonathan Nott has created a new suite of Debussy's opera, which is much more extensive, and focuses more on the actual drama and symphonic development than existing suites that rely heavily on Debussy's interludes.

Schoenberg's Pelleas und Melisande is often perceived as relatively "amorphous". Its narrative structure obscure, leaving concealed all but the most explicit references to the drama on which Schoenberg based it. In this recording, Jonathan Nott introduces a novel track division and analytical track titles that make the music's relation to the story much more tangible to the listener.

Programming it next to the music of Debussy's opera allows us to compare both works, and to see how the most important innovators of turn-of-the-century music responded to this haunting, Symbolist story.

[Lisztianwagner]

I'm too lazy to look it up, but given those French diacritical marks (accents) Debussy is overwhelmingly likely...

[Added] OMG, it's both! Although the Debussy is a symphonic suite arranged by Nott, rather than the opera.

Pelléas & Mélisande is a recording by Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) conducted by Jonathan Nott.  The album presents the two most ambitious musical responses to Maurice Maeterlinck's 1893 epoch-making play Pelléas et Mélisande.

Conductor Jonathan Nott has created a new suite of Debussy's opera, which is much more extensive, and focuses more on the actual drama and symphonic development than existing suites that rely heavily on Debussy's interludes.

Schoenberg's Pelleas und Melisande is often perceived as relatively "amorphous". Its narrative structure obscure, leaving concealed all but the most explicit references to the drama on which Schoenberg based it. In this recording, Jonathan Nott introduces a novel track division and analytical track titles that make the music's relation to the story much more tangible to the listener.

Programming it next to the music of Debussy's opera allows us to compare both works, and to see how the most important innovators of turn-of-the-century music responded to this haunting, Symbolist story.

Indeed, I've seen Nott's set includes both the Schonberg and the Debussy too, that's the reason of my curiosity. Thank you for adding the description, it sounds extremely intriguing! I may definitely have a listen to that set, I've enjoyed very much Nott's interpretation of Schönberg in his recording of the Piano Concerto; besides, a suite from Debussy's work sounds very interesting, I don't think I've ever listened to that version of that composition.

[VonStupp]

Jacques Offenbach
Concerto Militaire (ed. Jean-Max Clément)
Four Impressions (orch. Heinz Geese)
Concerto Rondo

Guido Schiefen, cello
WDR Orchestra Cologne - Helmuth Froschauer
David de Villiers & Gérard Oskamp

The Impressions made their best mark on me; beautiful picture-postcards for cello and orchestra.

I prefer the 45-minute Keck version of the Cello Concerto to the 25-minute Clément. The latter here sounds dry as dust comparatively. Otherwise, I enjoy Schiefen as a cellist.
VS

Der Windstoß auf der Seine-Brücke, Louis Anquetin (1889)

[Linz]

Schubert Diogenes Quartet, String Quartet in D major, D.94
Andante in C major, D.3
String Quartet in A minor, D.804 'Rosamunde'

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Scriabin Prometheus 7-Piano Transcription, Chitose Okashiro.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Curiosity piqued, so:

Both the Jones and Gamba recordings sound excellent.

[Bachtoven]

I've been enjoying this 24/96 download this afternoon. It would be hard to imagine more beautiful playing, and the sound is superb. The booklet notes are a rather wrenching read: the sessions took place before Lars Vogt's cancer diagnosis, and he was often hit with "catastrophic stomach pains." It was one of his last recordings.

[Symphonic Addict]

Fuchs: String Quartets opp. 58 and 62

Yet another composer I need to explore more. The op. 58 has a mellifluous character, but it lacks contrast in the first three movements (e.g. the 1st mov. is marked Allegro passionato, but it doesn't sound like that by any means), only in the 4th mov. it gets more agitation. A more robust performance would do more justice to the piece I reckon. The op. 62 is a step forward in inspiration, this is a very good and memorable quartet, especially the 1st, 3rd and 4th movements.