What are you listening 2 now?

[vandermolen]

The Alwyn film music series on Chandos is very worth listening, above all Odd Man Out.

Absolutely agree Cesar - I consider 'Odd Man Out' to be one of Alwyn's finest scores.

TD:
Symphony No.9
Difficult to get my head round on one hearing - tonal but not 'easy' music. The back cover associates this with the music of Copland, Janacek, Rubbra, Sibelius, Simpson and Tippett. Not sure I'd totally agree but I certainly want to hear this impressive and darkly eloquent 49 minute symphony again and I'm sure that it will continue to grow on me. I'll post a review below:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2017/Dec/Johnson_sy9_TOCC0393.htm

[Christo]

Another bunch of new acquisitions, before leaving them alone at the shelves (from which few return, discibus memento mori):

[Traverso]

I bet that's fun.

It is.

[vandermolen]

Rootham - symphony no.1

https://www.youtube.com/v/oRQa_H8rNmI

[asin]B000R3BRAW[/asin]

A fine work in my opinion. Do you know Symphony No.2 written during Rootham's very last days Olivier? It is a profoundly moving work. Rootham's grandson Daniel occasionally posts on the forum.

[vandermolen]

Another bunch of new acquisitions, before leaving them alone at the shelves (from which few return, discibus memento mori):

'In a Summer Garden' despite the rather twee title, is a most impressive work IMO.

[André]

Another bunch of new acquisitions, before leaving them alone at the shelves (from which few return, discibus memento mori):

I almost went for that one... Please report!

[Que]

Late evening listening:



Q

[San Antone]

Brahms: Piano Quintet In F Minor, Op. 34
Quatuor Hermes



I did not include this on my favorite releases from 2019 - but should have.

[Madiel]

Beethoven, op.31 piano sonatas



I don't know if anyone will ever make me fall in love with op.31/1, but Richard Goode is doing a remarkably good job preventing me from disliking it.

One of the things that keeps striking me about his performances is they have a vocal quality. The different strands of the music regularly sound like voices singing different parts in a little opera. Some of the sonatas really benefit from that approach.

[Papy Oli]

The Alwyn film music series on Chandos is very worth listening, above all Odd Man Out.

That CD surely entices me to explore his film music further. It definitely more than stands on its own merit without knowing about the movies.

[Papy Oli]

A fine work in my opinion. Do you know Symphony No.2 written during Rootham's very last days Olivier? It is a profoundly moving work. Rootham's grandson Daniel occasionally posts on the forum.

Yes Jeffrey, I remember Daniel's posts in the thread, i am pretty sure he had his own YT videos of some works as well.

Can't remember trying his second symphony, will have to remedy to that as well.

[Karl Henning]

Hindemith
The Abbado Kammermusiken set.

[Symphonic Addict]

Absolutely agree Cesar - I consider 'Odd Man Out' to be one of Alwyn's finest scores.

One of my greatest discoveries on this forum!

[Symphonic Addict]

That CD surely entices me to explore his film music further. It definitely more than stands on its own merit without knowing about the movies.

Most of them are superb, albeit there are some less interesting.

[SonicMan46]

Bach, JS - Sonatas & Partitas Solo Violin w/ Ingrid Matthews on baroque violin; she grew up in my home town of Winston Salem and graduated from the NC School of the Arts high school, then attended Indiana University for her music degree; more information HERE - she use to return for concerts at Reynolda House and Wake Forest University so I remember her appearance from those earlier years - this recording is from 1997 and is superb - reviews attached for those interested.  Dave

P.S. Centaur was quite negligent in their liner notes, i.e. nothing about her nor her violin (strings, tuning, etc.).

 

[listener]

new acquisition arrived today, had heard some on a PBS station and had to have it
TELEMANN: 6 Violin Sonatas  op.1
Gottfried Von Der Goltz, violin   Annekatrin Geller, cello
Torsten Johann,  harpsichord////positive organ   Thomas C.Boysen, theorbo
very athletic sounding, and in 4 movements so we're moving up from the old fast-slow-fast 3-movement tradition

[San Antone]

Bach, JS - Sonatas & Partitas Solo Violin w/ Ingrid Matthews on baroque violin; she grew up in my home town of Winston Salem and graduated from the NC School of the Arts high school, then attended Indiana University for her music degree; more information HERE - she use to return for concerts at Reynolda House and Wake Forest University so I remember her appearance from those earlier years - this recording is from 1997 and is superb - reviews attached for those interested.  Dave

P.S. Centaur was quite negligent in their line notes, i.e. nothing about her nor her violin (strings, tuning, etc.).

 

I really like this recording - thanks!

[JBS]

Bought this on speculation.

Unfortunately, it didn't work for me.  Far more minimalism than I care for. People who like minimalism will, I think, like this one. But not me.

Slightly longer description, with a clip from one of the works on the CD, here:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=2293361

[André]

The more I listen to Genzmer, the more I like his music.

[Christo]

I almost went for that one... Please report!

A new composer of 'Tallis Variations (1976), 'Ego flos campi' (2001), and even Psalm 104 (2002), all on this great disc, using titles, themes and ideas one Vaughan Williams composed music on in 1910, 1925 and 1950 respectively, can commit no wrong. 

Bo Holten is one of those 'tonal, but complex' composers from the late 20th Century who had a hard time under the musical establishment because of his "conservative" style, in his case in Denmark but almost exactly the same situation existed in the Netherlands and the UK, for example (my guess would be that the Canadian situation differed a bit, but I might be totally wrong).

It's all sincere, well-written, uplifting, inspirited and fine, yet won't hold its place with the present new wave of even more accessible choral composers (e.g. extremely so with Andresen and Gjeilo, for me especially with Ēriks Ešenvalds, very much like Holten, but also more inspired and 'special' (and of course big guns Lauridsen, Whittaker Whitacre and the like, less to my taste, more to that of a larger audience). Another factor being, that Holten makes use of Danish only, whereas his best comparison among the names mentioned here, the Latvian Ešenvalds, but also Norwegian Gjeilo, make use of Latin and also English (very helpful for choral music). Holten will remain a more local phenomenon I'm afraid, and worth hearing for that reason too.

As about this disc, what impressed me most is Holten's creative use of the orchestra, strings, instrumental settings etc. E.g. the Tallis Variations not like Vaughan Williams at all, of course  - but more in the mood of Britten's Bridge Variations alternated with wordless choral interruptions of often timeless beauty ('Gregorian'). Not bad. 

'In a Summer Garden' despite the rather twee title, is a most impressive work IMO.

Totally agree, I find the whole disc one of the finest Delius discs I know (unexpected from Hickox perhaps, yet true).