What are you listening 2 now?

[Mookalafalas]

I played this yesterday (the first disk, of Honegger) and hated it so much it actually made me angry.  I thought it epitomized everything bad about 20th century classical: like a child banging on a piano, but instead of each key being one note, each is a 20th cent composition cliche: horn crescendo, a dithering flute, violins trailing off in a spiral, crashing tympani, etc, etc.etc., with no larger form or logic or system whatsoever. Just shameless self-indulgence, grandiosity, and empty pomposity masquerading as some sort of grand statement.
   Playing it today, I find it engaging and rather fun. I'm impressed by the enormous color range and the tenderness of the moods and feelings
   Have I grown? Or has it warped my tastes? Or is it the vodka  
[asin]B00005RIH5[/asin]

[pjme]

But... it is a ( very old fashioned...) steam train accelerating!

https://www.youtube.com/v/rKRCJhLU7rs

The music starts at ca 02.45

and this is "Pacific 231" little Brazilian brother....

https://www.youtube.com/v/wIG4h7lvj4Y

[Biffo]

A fine work.

Re: Alwyn Symphony No 4. I was a bit ambivalent about the work and so refrained from commenting. I enjoyed each individual movement but wasn't sure they cohered as a symphony. However, it is only the second time I have listened to it so perhaps all will become clear after a few more plays.

[Tsaraslondon]

I've always liked Shostakovich's 1st, but can anyone really take the 3rd seriously?

Excellent performances.

[vandermolen]

Re: Alwyn Symphony No 4. I was a bit ambivalent about the work and so refrained from commenting. I enjoyed each individual movement but wasn't sure they cohered as a symphony. However, it is only the second time I have listened to it so perhaps all will become clear after a few more plays.

The first movement is especially fine. I find the scherzo a bit relentless.

Thread Duty:
'Odd Man Out' film score - a truly symphonic work. Anyone who cares for Alwyn should hear this. I consider it to be one of his finest scores:

[Traverso]

Bach

[Mookalafalas]

But... it is a ( very old fashioned...) steam train accelerating!

https://www.youtube.com/v/rKRCJhLU7rs

The music starts at ca 02.45

and this is "Pacific 231" little Brazilian brother....

https://www.youtube.com/v/wIG4h7lvj4Y

Wow! Beautiful references. I appreciate your effort. I was impressed by both, and will look at them again, more leisurely...
  Here is another, that I think of for train music. No visual accompaniment, however. https://youtu.be/fsO09U5u_Ws

[Florestan]

These quartets don't get much love apparently, neither from performers nor from listeners*, but they deserve it in spades. This is the fourth version I have of them and a very fine one.

*whoever is not moved by the Andante cantabile of the 1st or does not dance along with the Scherzo of the 2nd is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. 



And a fine rendition of my favorite Tchaikovsky symphony.

[aligreto]

Mahler: Symphony No. 10 [Morris]





It is forever to be lamented that Mahler did not live to complete this work himself.

[vers la flamme]

Franz Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178. Martha Argerich. From the box set "The Collection 1: The Solo Recordings" on DG.

[Madiel]

Having exhausted Martinon's Ravel, I'm starting on Boulez' first traversal for Columbia/Sony.



First cab off the rank is something I already feared from my previews... a rather laboured Menuet Antique. But despite some reservations like that I thought it was worth adding this one to the streaming mix as I decide what to (eventually) buy. Over the coming days I'm going to listen to a lot more to see how it goes.

[vers la flamme]

Malcolm Arnold: Symphony No.5, op.74. Andrew Penny, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.

[Madiel]

Having exhausted Martinon's Ravel, I'm starting on Boulez' first traversal for Columbia/Sony.



First cab off the rank is something I already feared from my previews... a rather laboured Menuet Antique. But despite some reservations like that I thought it was worth adding this one to the streaming mix as I decide what to (eventually) buy. Over the coming days I'm going to listen to a lot more to see how it goes.

Well I'm afraid that experiment is over. I went on to listen to La Valse and then skipped to Ma mere l'Oye, and... there's just not enough feeling and poetry coming across.

There are times (not all the time, admittedly, but there are times) when it feels like a lot of notes that aren't quite joining up into anything more. Like immaculately rendering the dots on a pontillist picture, but it doesn't coalesce into a whole image.

I know there are people (here and elsewhere) that like this a lot, but it's not doing it for me and I can save about 4 hours by moving on. I have much higher hopes for Boulez' later Deutsche Grammophon recordings which are on the to-do list (although sadly lacking a couple of the more obscure orchestral works).

[vandermolen]

Mahler: Symphony No. 10 [Morris]





It is forever to be lamented that Mahler did not live to complete this work himself.

Welcome back Fergus!

[aligreto]

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra [von Karajan]


   


For people unfamiliar with the whole of this wonderful work, forget the ubiquitous opening fanfare and continue on into the meat of the work and you will find intriguing, exciting and thrilling music, particularly in this performance.

[aligreto]

Welcome back Fergus!

Thank you Jeffrey.

[Florestan]

Mahler: Symphony No. 10 [Morris]





It is forever to be lamented that Mahler did not live to complete this work himself.

Aligreto's back, party time folks!

[aligreto]

Aligreto's back, party time folks!

Cheers, my friend but more like the Vinyl Vault revisited 

[Traverso]

Chants d'Auvergne

[Madiel]

Ravel/Ozawa, in one of its various permutations for streaming.