What are you listening 2 now?

[aligreto]

I'm enjoying them.  I have to state up front that the harpsichord is a relatively new love for me -- I've been slowly gathering recordings, and I like what I hear (the counterpoint is so much clearer and easier to follow on a harpsichord), but most of my Bach CDs are on piano, so I am not able to compare various recordings.  I picked this set up for a whalloping $2.99 on my last visit to Princeton, and am finally giving it a spin.

All of that said, I like the sound of the harpsichord here -- it's got a nice tone, not too bright, and with a realistic bass tone (I've sometimes found other recordings to be too high-pitched or metallic sounding; that's definitely not the case here, my ears don't get tired listening to this).  The music flows smoothly, sprightly without sounding forced or too fast, the rhythms natural and elegant -- not exactly danceable like Vivaldi, but very nice.

FWIW, I'm early enough in collecting Bach on the harpsichord that I can name everything I own off the top of my head:

Goldbergs:  Rousset, Belder, Pinnock, Leonhardt
WTC:  Rousset, Jaccottet, Dreyfus (book 1)
Toccatas:  Van Delft
Partitas:  Verlet, Pinnock
English Suites:  Van Asperen
French Suites:  Payne
Art of Fugue:  Leonhardt, Van Delft

On order: 
English & French Suites:  Alan Curtis
WTC, Toccatas, Goldbergs (box set):  Van Asperen

I've been reading through the Bach on the Harpsichord thread, though I've been reluctant to pipe up and ask for recommendations for fear of plunging into abject bankruptcy....

Thank you for that response. Good for you for going down this particular route. Interestingly, I cannot really "hear" the keyboard music [obviously other than organ music] of JS Bach unless it is played on a harpsichord. I do own piano versions but, for me, they are not quite the same thing. Just a personal observation.

[aligreto]

I remember this recording winning the Grammy (back when Grammy for classical was a joke...), and the presenter pronounced the name as Mayler.
It is a good recording.

Yes, a very fine recording indeed.

[aligreto]

Great cover art on that particular one.

[aligreto]

Hi Aligreto - could easily add a bunch more - I've been putting together playlists of my owned Amazon music + a lot of classical stuff on Spotify - streaming on my den speakers and sounds great - guess that I've gotten too lazy to pull out my CDs and put them in the player -    Dave

Hey, Dave. I hope that you have earned your indolence.
Continued happy listening 

[aligreto]

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 [Douglas/Slatkin]





This piano concerto is a particular long time favourite of mine.

[Papy Oli]

I trust that you enjoyed the Baudo cycle.

I did, Aligreto. I have found those symphonies more "digestible" this time round, compared to a first listen some weeks ago, bar maybe the 3rd. My interest was sustained throughout otherwise. I'll definitely revisit all of them again, sooner rather than later. Definitely an expansion of my comfort zone in terms of style.

[aligreto]

I did, Aligreto. I have found those symphonies more "digestible" this time round, compared to a first listen some weeks ago, bar maybe the 3rd. My interest was sustained throughout otherwise. I'll definitely revisit all of them again, sooner rather than later. Definitely an expansion of my comfort zone in terms of style.

I am pleased to hear that you have enjoyed these works. The Baudo cycle is a very fine one. As I have often found out myself it is not always easy to venture too far beyond one's comfort zone but it can definitely turn out to be a rewarding exercise.

[Moonfish]

Maria Grinberg - Works by JS Bach

from

[asin] B07THHPCHL[/asin]

[Iota]

Yes I've been listening to some of this recently - the CD after the one you chose, 878-885. I've known the recording for years and I've never enjoyed it, though I have been hard put to say why. Yet this time, I started to see why so people think it's special, I liked the delicacy and the detail, the way he has of making the music sound quite convoluted and intricate, like one of those baroque pieces of decorative metalwork for churches, full of putti and curlicues.

My personal Goldilocks zone for WTC is pretty wide, there being a number of different approaches I like a lot, but I must say Woodward sits right at the centre of it. There's something so right about what he does, direct, clear and effortlessly ethereal at times.

TD



String Quartet No.1

A work of surpassing beauty and intensity. I sometimes listen to the last movt separately, as it can be a lot to take in after the cumulative effect of the preceding ones, but today I had sufficient time and mental space (just) to listen to the whole thing.

[SymphonicAddict]

TD



String Quartet No.1

A work of surpassing beauty and intensity. I sometimes listen to the last movt separately, as it can be a lot to take in after the cumulative effect of the preceding ones, but today I had sufficient time and mental space (just) to listen to the whole thing.

An impressive work. Intricate and rewarding at the same time. I intend to listen to the rest of the quartets these days.

[Moonfish]

Bidu Sayão

[asin] B002QJX2VW[/asin]


A wonderful voice, but I very much prefer this compilation (below) - especially the Debussy.

[asin] B0000029YH[/asin]

[Moonfish]

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Royal PO/ Rodzinski

[Ken B]

Simeon ten Holt
Lemniscaat
Van Veen and crew

[SymphonicAddict]

One of those singular cpo releases that sometimes is overlooked. Wetzler was a German composer who lived a part of his life in USA. An almost exact contemporary of Bantock. Reading some info on the internet, he wrote few works, among them the ones on the CD: Visionen and Assisi. Both works belong to the German late-Romantic tradition at its best, so you can expect some grandiloquent and opulent music here. I could hear echoes from Wagner (Siegfried), Strauss (Alpine Symphony), Dukas (The Sorcerer's Apprentice), Respighi (Pini di Roma, Fontane di Roma), even Franck (Le Chasseur Maudit) and Hausegger (Natursymphonie, Barbarossa). Subdued and thought-provoking passages mixed with other angrier and more explosive throughout. The orchestration is so magnificent, resplendent and subtle when needed. Some will say that the works are a bit bombastic, but hey, it's good bombastic! Two most welcome discoveries. This label always has some really nice kept secrets.

[San Antone]

Schumann: Gesänge der Frühe
Dina Ugorskaja

[André]

One of those singular cpo releases that sometimes is overlooked. Wetzler was a German composer who lived a part of his life in USA. An almost exact contemporary of Bantock. Reading some info on the internet, he wrote few works, among them the ones on the CD: Visionen and Assisi. Both works belong to the German late-Romantic tradition at its best, so you can expect some grandiloquent and opulent music here. I could hear echoes from Wagner (Siegfried), Strauss (Alpine Symphony), Dukas (The Sorcerer's Apprentice), Respighi (Pini di Roma, Fontane di Roma), even Franck (Le Chasseur Maudit) and Hausegger (Natursymphonie, Barbarossa). Subdued and thought-provoking passages mixed with other angrier and more explosive throughout. The orchestration is so magnificent, resplendent and subtle when needed. Some will say that the works are a bit bombastic, but hey, it's good bombastic! Two most welcome discoveries. This label always has some really nice kept secrets.

+1.

A superb disc indeed!

[Mandryka]

Just out today I think. Very beautiful soft lute and as far as I can tell from the first few tracks, very lyrical soulful performances.

[Traverso]

Bach

Cantatas  "Schweigt stille,plaudert nicht" such a good cantata to start the day with.
Tönet,ihr PauKen! Erschallet,Trompeten
The lovely "Non sa che sia dolore"

[Que]

Morning listening:

[asin]B00000145Q[/asin]
Christie's and Niquet's efforts form together a magnificent Charpentier collection! 

Q

[vandermolen]

Karajan is peerless in 2 and 3. Those are the only ones I know of that he recorded. Worth seeking out that disc.

TD Schumann Piano Concerto Ashkenazy

Agree about Honegger. He (HvK) only recorded those two. The poetic and deeply moving (in view of what's come before) 'birdsong' ending of No.3 is hauntingly beautiful, unlike any other recording.